The World’s Most Complex Catfishing Scam | Investigators

Over sixty characters, thousands of messages and eight years of lies and exploitation - this could be one of the world’s most sophisticated catfishing scams. At the centre of this story is radio host Kirat Assi who received a Facebook message in 2009 from a handsome cardiologist called Bobby. Kirat was slowly reeled into Bobby’s world and eventually duped into an intimate relationship with him. She was manipulated, coerced and tricked, she lost friends and her career. When the scam fell apart in 2018, the catfisher was someone Kirat was not expecting. Alexi Mostrous and Claudia Williams from Tortoise Media ask why the police didn’t take the case seriously and was a crime actually committed? If you think you may be in an abusive relationship, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit their website, . For the UK call The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night. Watch more from this series: Did North Korea Smuggle $100 Million of Heroin Overseas? The Man Who Secretly Impregnated 78 Women Who Was Behind the 1994 World Cup Massacre? Check out the VICE World News playlist for global reporting you won’t find elsewhere: Help keep VICE News’ fearless reporting free for millions by making a one time or ongoing contribution here. - Subscribe to VICE News here: Check out VICE News for more: Follow VICE News here: Facebook: Twitter: Tumblr: Instagram: More videos from the VICE network: #VICENews #News