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Anne Berit Guttormsen (62) is one of Norway’s leading anesthetists, professor of medicine, and a popular lecturer among students at the University of Bergen.
She has won national awards for her outstanding teaching and, in other words, she is a very energetic and resourceful woman.
However, she was duped in one of the biggest love scam cases that we know of in Norway in recent years.
After keeping the secret for two years, he has decided to tell his story. She has given up the money to get it back, but now she wants to warn others not to end up in the same situation.
DOCTOR: Anne Berit Guttormsen is a teacher and one of Norway’s leading anesthetists. Photo: Magne Sandnes
Love online
In the summer of 2017, Anne Berit felt lonely. She was in a vulnerable phase of life after a breakup, and had just moved in on her own after 30 years as a partner.
She was looking for something more.
Then the man of dreams appeared on a dating site – he was a handsome Greek architect who said he lived in Askøy on the outskirts of Bergen.
INTENSIVE CONTACT: Contact with the Greek intensified rapidly. Photo: Lars H. Doksæter
– I was flattered that a handsome man wanted to have contact with me. “I think it was nice and it was a bit exciting with a foreign man,” he says.
The man called himself Andreas Christos. He asked you to quickly delete his profile on the dating site and add him as a friend on Facebook.
The photos of the man in this case have been stolen from the Facebook page of an innocent man. These images have been used in several similar scam cases. The innocent man in the photo has been contacted by Åsted Norway, but has not responded.
INNOCENT: The man Anne Berit fell in love with turned out to be an innocent American. The photos were stolen from Facebook. Photo: screenshot
It was the beginning of a whole year with a lot of dialogue.
– It was very intense at first with many messages every day. I felt seen by a handsome man and I was flattered by all the messages he sent me.
“You’re beautiful”.
“I miss you so much baby”.
“I so want to be with you”.
“I love you with all my heart”.
IDENTITY THEFT: The man in the photos has had his identity stolen and has nothing to do with fraud. Photo: screenshot
– In the end we talked together on Messenger, and I think he had a good voice.
They also sent him links to the websites of his company, “Sky Architecure”, which contained photographs of the same man and descriptions of the projects they were working on.
CREDIBLE: The company’s website seemed credible. The man’s photos have been stolen and the man in the photo has nothing to do with the scam. Photo: Private
At first, Anne Berit was showered with compliments and declarations of love, and finally fell in love with “Andreas Christos”, without ever having met him.
Because when it came to a meeting, there was always something getting in the way.
Then suddenly he had to travel to Cyprus.
Cypriot Supermarket
His company had been commissioned to build a supermarket in Larnaca and it had to be there. But the intense dialogue continued, and after a month the first questions about money arrived.
PETITION: The Greek asks Anne Berit for money. Photo: Lars H. Doksæter
First he needed a phone, then a little less money, and finally he asked for larger and larger sums.
There was a work accident on the construction site in Cyprus, problems with insurance, fines from the authorities and problems with investors.
Anne Berit received several different documents that seemed credible, but everything was falsified.
At the same time, the messages changed character. When Anne Berit asked questions about the money transfers, they accused her of lying.
“Do not trust me”.
“You are lying”.
“You are so bad”.
Your bank warns you, but then you switch banks. You take out consumer loans, empty savings accounts, and work overtime.
In the end, it has transferred almost 13 million crowns.
– It’s crazy. Headless and thoughtless. I really have no explanation for what happened. When I look back now, I realize that I should stop. But something happens in your head when they manipulate you in that way.
Also, you are promised that you will get your money back.
The refund
A bank called “Go Bank” is suddenly connected. A bank manager contacts her and they send her documents and proof that “Andreas Christos” has 40 million crowns in the account.
Anne Berit even gets a digital login at the bank where she can view the account.
There is only one problem.
In order for her to have access to the money, she must open the account and then first she must pay more money.
LETTER: A London based bank contacts Anne Berit. To get your money back, you have to pay. Photo: screenshot
– The fact that that account was locked was not logical, and now all the warning lights were on continuously. But somehow I didn’t assume it. Maybe it’s possible that I get my money back, I thought. And whoever said he was the bank manager was friendly and helpful. Also, he looked serious and professional. It shows how professionally they operate, I was manipulated into a fictional world where I was called a liar, and I have a bad conscience, it’s crazy.
The man Anne Berit thought she was in love with turned out to be a constructed figure.
Professional scammers, probably from Nigeria, had stolen photos of an innocent American man from Facebook and manipulated the Norwegian professor almost daily for an entire year.
Anne Berit has decided to tell her story to leave it behind once and for all.
– The worst is not the money. The worst thing is the emotional blow to the face. Be led behind the light. Plus there’s the shame. I did not dare to tell anyone because it was very embarrassing and I was afraid that they would see me as stupid and naive. Of course, I understand that others may think that. But I thought about it and found that it could make a difference to other people in the same situation. Maybe you can help prevent others from ending up with the same disability. Because it was… damn it.
In Åsted, Norway, in the next few weeks, you will learn more about how Anne Berit revealed the fraud and can continue the search for where Anne Berit’s money has actually gone. More than five million crowns went to another Norwegian woman who lived in eastern Norway.
