Alex voice-messaged us way back in 2018 explaining his hardship and asking for a loan of £400. He said that he’d not been paid and needed some money for rent. He promised to repay the money in two weeks when his next pay cheque came in. We felt glad to help a brother in desperate need by sending a loan.
We contacted Alex two weeks later to remind him it was time to pay back the loan. Alex quickly messaged back and said he was in a job interview and would call back later. He sent a photo of himself at the interview. He also messaged, “Oh man… going thru so much this period…”
A few minutes later he called and explained about his difficult circumstances. We can’t now recall the detail of what he said, but it resulted in us turning the loan into a gift.
In 2021, “Peter” shared in a WhatsApp group that he had heard Alex had no food and wondered if anyone in the group could help. We sent Alex a further gift of £150 on PayPal.
On both occasions, we believed we were assisting a brother in genuine need and we were glad to help. However, after hearing other similar testimonies, and seeing similar patterns of behaviour elsewhere, we now believe that Alex emotionally manipulated us and never intended to return the loan from the outset.
In our case, and others we have observed that Alex:
* Requested a loan and did not return it, eg. Scott’s story, Ben & Olga’s Story, (attempted in “Peter’s” case).
* Emphasising desperate and urgent circumstances, eg. Scott’s story, Jola’s story, “Peter’s” story.
* Sends a picture to ‘demonstrate’ his situation, eg. “Peter’s” story, Jola’s story.
It is so disappointing to see someone using the name of Jesus to manipulate and cheat others. We hope and pray that Alex will come to a place of repentance.
