Andy,

Thank you very much for your reply.

Regretfully this is a scam. The Fidelity web address you were given is not an official Fidelity web page but rather a fake page set up by this scammer to support the web of lies they are telling you.

The web page is easily revealed as fake by attempting to go to the root domain--http://fidelity-trust.co.de. That should take you to the main Fidelity website, as it is the root domain hosting the page. However, it instead takes you to a broken index page--clearly because the page is unrelated to the actual fidelity website.

Fidelity's website is hosted at "fidelity.com," not fidelity-trust.co.de." This is a common ploy of scammers--to set up mock websites of real businesses and make them seem legitimate by using some variation of their name in a web address. Do not be fooled by this tactic. Anyone can register fidelity-trust.co.de and that site has no affiliation with Fidelity.

This is a common version of a "romance scam." The basic idea is simple: to develop a romantic relationship with someone online using fake pictures and a fake story and then convince them to transfer money in response to a tragedy, to come visit, or some other reason.

These scammers operate on a mass scale and contact hundreds of victims a week. Consequently, they follow certain cut-and-paste scripts that are very predictable and easy to recognize if you see enough of them. What you have described--a traveling antiques dealer who gets stranded in Africa and requires a short term loan--is one of the most common stories.

Everything you think you know about this person is unfortunately false. The video chats you believed you were having were pre-recorded video, likely with substantial delay and/or of poor quality to mask the fact that you were not interacting with the person you actually were seeing. This woman's pictures are fake--typically lifted from a legitimate dating profile--and the story is a work of pure fiction.

As noted, these scams are surprisingly common, and while it may seem hard to believe from your perspective, from mine it's an open-and-shut case, as I handle dozens of inquiries from individuals in the same circumstance every week.

I am very sorry to deliver this news to you, as I can imagine you have developed an attachment to the person you thought you knew. However, I trust that you will appreciate knowing the truth now so that you do not lose unnecessary money to this scam.

Since this fraud occurred through use of the internet, an individual in your circumstance can report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (a division of the FBI that specifically handles internet fraud) at the following address: http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

You can also submit a claim with the Federal Trade Commission's bureau of consumer protection here: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

I sincerely XXXXX XXXXX this information helps you and I wish you the best.

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Finally, please bear in mind that none of the above constitutes legal advice nor is any attorney client relationship created between us.

Thank you and very kindest regards.