He was tall, charming and full of joie de vivre – when “Goodbye Germany” emigrant Nina Ofenloch (37) met local Masai Benjamin in Zanzibar, she was soon hooked.
Not only did they have a lot of fun together in their free time: he also helped with the renovation of the guesthouse, which she opened a few months later as a second source of business alongside her business and life coaching career.
Copyright: RTL/TV Turbo
Working as a life and business coach for several years: Nina Ofenloch.
And then the shock: Nina had discovered that her boyfriend had stolen from her and put the money intended for the construction work in his own pocket! A breach of trust which heralded the end of their relationship and ultimately led to their separation.
Unfortunately, it was not peaceful: even after that, he did not give the lawyer any rest, harassed and threatened her and even beat up her security guard! He also wanted to sue them and suddenly demanded $20,000 (around 20,400 euros) for his guesthouse renovation work. A utopian sum, as Nina clearly explained: “Even the chief architect doesn’t get that much money. »
Lovescamming – a widespread problem
Nina gradually learned that there were a number of European women who had similar experiences to her on the island. Among the concerned women she met was emigrant Levke Kersting (41), also known from “Goodbye Germany”. Her heart had been broken twice by locals and she had even been beaten by her ex.
Copyright: RTL / TV Turbo
In addition to coaching, Nina runs a guest house in Zanzibar.
The new friends found other romance scam victims on social media. These women published the names and photos of the scammers in the group, and Nina’s ex-Benjamin was also one of them. But Nina’s attempt to persuade those involved to act together failed due to their timidity. Could an online petition allowing women to remain anonymous be helpful? With this, she hoped, she could reinforce her desire to do something about romance fraud with the government and/or the Minister of Tourism.
Read here: A dear “yes”! ‘Goodbye Germany’ couple’s wedding postponed due to luxury plans
The fact that those who were deceived were not just “stupid”, as many outsiders thought, was also clearly demonstrated by a victim who met Nina on camera, although the woman’s face did not not been shown. The “Beach Boys” of Zanzibar are “perfect actors,” she explained.
Quite simply a master of psychological manipulation. She lost 6,000 euros to her ex-boyfriend, but the emotional damage was even worse. “If you disappoint people who trust others so much, I imagine those women won’t approach others so openly,” Nina thought.
No more “prostitution story”
Of course, the Maasai are “not all bad,” she stressed. Not even the fraudsters, because they often lacked perspective on how they could make money in other, more honest ways. A thought that seemingly never left the solution-oriented emigrant’s mind.
Because when VOX visited him three months later, his fight against love scam had taken on a whole new form. His idea: sponsor education! She wanted to find Europeans who would finance the training of the Maasai of Zanzibar to become, for example, taxi drivers or tourist guides, “so that we can take a preventative approach and perhaps reduce this prostitution issue in the future”.
The idea was well received by the Maasai: during the first big meeting, Nina collected 102 signatures from interested young men. And there were more and more. They were “happy and grateful” for the opportunity, Masai spokesperson Lengai Papaa Lemareka said at another meeting, during which Nina was able to obtain a driving license for the first applicant. Others should follow.
Nina had no further news from her ex, but her vision was just beginning to blossom. And that brought a big smile to his face: “That’s how change begins, right? »
