She decided to call the lawyer to see if he had seen or heard from Landel, but the number was not in service. She had to leave the office for a couple of hours to deliver a job to one of her customers.
When she got back home, there were several messages on her answering machine; she thought one of the calls was from Landel, but they were all from business associates and concerned friends.
She went on her computer to check her e-mail but heard nothing from him. She sent another fax and still there was no reply. She went back on-line to do a search on the bank.
Its headquarters' address, e-mail, and telephone number came up.
She called the bank and after further investigation discovered that Landel never worked at the bank but had an account there.
When she inquired about the money wired into the seller's account, the bank manager said, "The money went into Landel's account. Two weeks after receiving the funds, he withdrew the money and closed the account."
After hearing that shocking information, Kamani dropped the phone, became dizzy, fell to the floor and screamed. She could not deem that the man she fell in love with would have the inclination to put together such an evil scheme. He came over as such an honorable man.
How could an individual who sent her love letters and romantic poems transform himself into such a diabolical character?
He was a chameleon who fooled her into thinking he was a person with a heart but under that pretense was a wicked impostor.
She felt abused and exploited, because this man stripped away her dignity.
Just about everyone in the community heard about Kamani's troubles. Many wondered how a bright and successful business-minded woman became the victim of fraud so effortlessly.
Rumors started to spread that she was financially ruined and was about to lose her business and home. The chatter was somewhat true. She was at the brink of losing everything.
By chance, she was able to refinance her home and obtain an additional line of credit. Yet, the money she lost did not pain her as much as Landel's deception. She contemplated pressing charges against him but knew it was fruitless. She never even met the man and had no idea if he really lived in Cape Verde.
She started to speculate that the photo he sent of himself was probably a fake, and he might have been pretending to be the seller and the lawyer, or maybe all three of them were in on the con.
Law enforcement could not assist her because the ruse occurred outside of the United States. Once you have delved into a foreign affair, the laws do not protect you.