‘My mother was tricked by a fraudster pretending to be David Attenborough and gave them …

“Who the hell are you? I don’t recognise you as my mother.” Diane’s son Jim stormed into her home on a Sunday morning. He had just learned that she was six months into a relationship with a fraudster who was claiming to be Sir David Attenborough. “You were ready to leave me!” he yelled. Jim had just discovered that Diane, a 74-year-old widow, had sent him almost half her life savings in the belief that she was supporting the 99-year-old broadcaster through health problems and legal trouble. After meeting him via a fake celebrity page on Facebook, she was preparing to sell her flat and send the money to a man she was convinced was her partner, who had been hinting at marriage and encouraging her to leave her home in Canada to join him in London. Diane and her son shared their story with The Independent, shedding light on the cruel psychological tactics of a growing criminal enterprise, and leading this paper to uncover shocking flaws in user protection on the world’s largest social media site. Diane was approached by a fraudster behind the fake Attenborough Facebook profile in October 2024. He soon suggested they move to Telegram where
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