On the 13th of April 2011 my life changed forever.

I was arrested at Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina with five kilos of cocaine concealed in a suitcase.

At the time of my arrest little did I realise I had become a victim of a romance, money, and drug scam, a victim of human trafficking according to some. While I faced some of my toughest life challenges, I am now able to look back and realise there were many positives to come of my arrest and subsequent time in prison, despite never being sure of when I would eventually return home.

By the telling of my personal experience through the writing of my story, and by standing up and speaking about it, I am hopeful of finding ways (including legislative change) to assist the many victims who have been exploited by scammers.

I want to shift the spotlight from the victims to the corrupt scams and scammers.  I also hope to ensure no one else need go through what I did.

I believe that anyone whether they are vulnerable or not can become victims of the many different and sophisticated scams and scammers out there in cyberspace and unfortunately just in space in general.

In my book I discuss some of the strategies that helped me through a process of recovery.  While they may not work for all I share them from my own experience.

I am advocating for victims/survivors and their families who have been exploited in some way by scammers, who may not feel as comfortable as I have become with the sharing of their own stories.

By using my experience as an example for others I hope to show that anyone can overcome adversity we just need time to rise above it and grow from the experience.