A Winnipeg woman who claims she lost her life savings to a con man said police won’t spend the money to bring him here to face charges.

The woman doesn’t want to be identified because she’s afraid of what her friends and family might think of the university-educated woman willingly giving away her money to someone she believed was going to invest in their future.

The woman met the accused, Mohammad Assaf, online two years ago and they dated for four months.

“That's all I've ever wanted, was to meet somebody and to start a family, and he played on every heartstring of mine,” she said.

Assaf showed her pictures of his fiancé and child who he claimed died in a car crash.

He told the woman, who was having financial trouble, that he could double the $12,000 she had saved. The woman believed him, thinking he was an investor.

“He knew my whole situation, that I was helping my family out financially and he said, ‘You know, now it's time for somebody to take care of you.' And that is the line that got me so quickly.”

The 36-year-old man has a lengthy criminal record. He’s been in and out of jail since he was 18 and convicted 28 times. His list of offences in Alberta includes fraud, forgery and theft, and he’s been ordered to bay back more than $40,000.

He also has a record in London, Ontario and St. Catharines, and there are warrants out for his arrest in Winnipeg, Ottawa and Edmonton.

He’s currently serving his latest jail term in Alberta and is set to be released next month. The woman says Winnipeg police won’t bring him here to face new charges because the trip to go get him would cost too much.

Winnipeg Police Service released a statement.

“Despite the fact we are not providing the resources to bring this individual back to Winnipeg, he remains wanted in this jurisdiction. In light of the fact this is a non-violent offence, the executive will review each and every case on an individual basis and then make an informed decision," said police in the statement.

The woman said she has given up on getting the money back but is determined to get justice. “Why is it OK for criminals to go to other provinces and do what they call petty crimes and then they don't have to be accountable for it?”

She hopes the other victims she believes are out there will hare this story and report to police, giving them further incentive to go and bring in Assaf.

- With a report from Caroline Barghout