Edmond Widow Out Hundreds Of Thousands After Catfishing Scam

An Edmond woman is speaking out, hoping you can learn from her misfortune that cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The FBI is now investigating the "Catfishing Scam" that started with a Facebook friend request back in August.

“You get lonely,” said Phyllis Lindsey, who has been a widow for the past two years.

Lindsey admitted she broke her own cardinal rule when she accepted a friend request from a total stranger.

“He introduced himself on Facebook and he was very polite, very nice,” said Lindsey.

Lester Holmes claimed to be a three-star General and was considering retiring in Oklahoma.

Soon Phyliss, and the man claiming to be Holmes, were texting each other.

“He was telling me anything to get me to like him,” said Lindsey.

Eventually, Holmes claimed he was stuck in Syria without his Exit papers.

He asked Lindsey to pay to have his belongings in the U.S., including those papers, shipped to her in Edmond.

Lindsey said Holmes told her he didn’t want to the Pentagon to find out about his so-called lost Exit Papers.

In a text message, the scam artist said, “Darling remember in case you are asked at the bank for purpose of the transfer tell them you are buying a car.

Another tweet to Lindsey said, “I will forever make you happy my queen."

Phyliss said when her son found out about the last transfer of $100,000 in November, he called police and the FBI.

All totaled, Lindsey thinks she wired the mystery man $350,000.

“I would like to choke him. I really would,” added Lyndsey about the con artist.

“It’s embarrassing. It’s upsetting, but if I hide and don’t ever talk about it, someone else could be caught in the same thing,” said Lindsey.

The FBI is now helping to get some of Lindsey’s money back.