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A Jacksonville man who was once taken advantage of by a woman he met online has a warning for anyone who turns to the Internet for dating or looking for a mail-order bride.
Two years ago, Anthony Penoso said his fiancé was supposed to fly into Jacksonville for their marriage.
"My fiancé, who was an eastern European model, used my credentials with immigration to procure a visa and didn't show up for our wedding," Penoso said. "She never showed up. She never called, and it was only later that I found she showed up in Beverly Hills via LAX." Penoso said the woman didn't want a husband, just a visa.
"It had to have been a plot from the beginning to enter the U.S. anyway she could," Penoso said.
After months of searching, Penoso eventually spotted the woman he once called his fiancé on a TV show, which helped him track her down in Los Angeles.
Penoso said he not only got an apology and his $35,000 engagement ring back, but also an idea for a book.
"Every potential contact you have on the Internet has it in them to make your life a living turmoil," Penoso warned.
He recently finished writing "How To Not Get Burned By Internet Dating and Mail Order Brides." He said there is a lot that potential victims need to be aware of.
"The Internet is the place to avoid when emotionally vulnerable because there are people on the Internet who target people just like that," Penoso said.
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