‘HOW I CONNED A CONMAN'

Finding herself in a relationship with a serial fraudster, Emma had to use her wits to rescue her savings

- Rebecca Barry Hill

Emma Ferris had recently been through an amicable divorce when she decided to try online dating. When she matched with Andrew Thomson, a charismatic Australian businessman, there was an instant connection.

He was kind and a good listener, providing comfort when a good friend’s husband died.

“I’ve since learned that’s how it works with conmen – showing empathy,” says Emma. “He’d continually ask, ‘Do you want to talk about it?’ That nurturing, emotional connection I hadn’t had in my marriage was developed.”

Andrew, who’d recently moved from Tasmania to Otago, NZ, where Emma lives, explained he was an entrepreneur with a track record that included a successful trucking company, a string of restaurants and an importing business. He told her he’d been an AFL player and a pro wakeboarder.

BUILDING TRUST

As they got to know one another, he’d surprise her with expensive gifts, and their first date was at an exclusive hotel.

“It’s not what I wanted, that grandiosity, but I’ve learned it’s part of trust-building,” Emma tells Woman’s Day.