Family of Nicola Bulley face fresh agony from ‘sick’ online trolls

Relatives left horrified after scammers use photos of Nicola Bulley (Image: Family Handout) Heartbroken relatives of Nicola Bulley have faced a new torment after discovering “sick” trolls were using her face on a dating website. The scammers responsible were thought to have been using pictures of Nicola as part of a catfish operation in a bid to lure lonely people in and then bombard them with demands for money. Multiple accounts used pictures of her under different names, claiming they were individuals from the UK’s capital city. One profile showed a picture of Nicola’s face, but the woman was called Faustina, aged 46, and another was called Elorm, aged 41. Ms Bulley was reported missing in January this year, but police took 23 days to find her body. An inquest concluded she died when she fell into River Wyre, in Lancashire while out walking her dog. The search for Ms Bulley lasted roughly three weeks (Image: Getty Images) According to a Mirror  exclusive, one family friend described the scam as “sick”. A source added: “The family has been made aware of this. They’ve already been through the most horrendous ordeal.” The Mirror contacted the parent group that runs the dating website where the photos appeared. Smooch.com appears to charge £23 a month, and promises to find romance but only has a one-star rating on the consumer website, TrustPilot. Lancashire Police’s handling of Nicola’s disappearance sparked outrage after the force disclosed private details of her struggles with alcohol and the menopause. Amateur sleuths then added to the heartache of Nicola’s partner, Paul Ansell, and other loved ones by speculating about the case and even visiting the area while the police were still searching for her. Flowers with messages attached to the footbridge over the River Wyre where Nicola was found (Image: Getty Images) The 45-year-old Ms Bulley disappeared after dropping her daughters, six and nine, at school on January 27 before taking her dog walk on a walk along the River Wyre in Lancashire. Her phone, which was still on a work call, was found on a bench overlooking a “cliff-edge drop” into the river. Her partner of 12 years, Paul Ansell, told the inquest he believes she went to put a harness on her dog shortly before falling into the river. After a search that lasted over three weeks, her body was eventually found in the water.