The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Woman conned out of £150k in romance fraud
With many people hooked on the crimes of Netflix “Tinder swindler” Shimon Hayut, a senior police detective in Fife has warned of the real threat from romance fraud.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Mill has told The Courier of a case involving one woman in Fife who lost £150,000.
Unlike Hayut, who used a jet-setting lifestyle funded by previous scams to con his victims, the woman was targeted by a con artist posing as a retired military officer.
She formed an online relationship with the man, who explained he was a former high-ranking military officer working in private security for royalty in the Middle East.
Her story shows that far from the world of true crime documentaries, romance fraud poses a real threat to people in Tayside and Fife.
He followed a similar playbook to Hayut, faking a crisis after earning his victim’s trust which he used to ask for money.
The woman, who lived in Fife, was asked for funds so that the “military officer” could travel to Scotland to meet her, DCI Mill explained.
He claimed he worked for a Middle Eastern prince who paid him in gold, and eventually he asked for tens of thousands of pounds to help him access it.
DCI Mill said: “The fraudster claimed that he had been paid for his security work by a Middle Eastern prince in gold and that he would use these funds to travel to Scotland to meet the victim.”
Each time she was asked for money a different reason was given, such as the gold being impounded in different countries with money needed to release it.
By the end of the scam, £150,000 had been handed over.
“The fraudster then claimed that he needed money to pay for (things like) insurance, taxes, shipping,” said DCI Mill.
“Eventually the victim realised that neither the gold nor the military officer (fraudster) were ever going to arrive, and reported the matter to the police.”
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a positive outcome for the woman – following police inquiries into the crime officers were able to establish the money had been sent to Africa and could not be retrieved.
The woman is not the first person in Fife to fall victim to romance fraudsters, with one con artist jailed in 2019 after stealing £60,000 from his victim and her family.
The Courier reported how Alan Clarkson had created a web of lies to obtain money from local woman Michelle Szombara and her trusting relatives between 2010 and 2014.
The 42-year-old made claims that he needed money to pay officials from the Financial Services Authority who had frozen his bank accounts.
He also targeted Michelle’s brother, Christopher, pocketing the cash he said he would use to pay his council tax.
Michelle Szombara’s parents fell victim too, but her mum died before she could see Clarkson finally face justice. Michelle worked with police to raise awareness of romance fraud following Clarkson’s sentencing.
“My advice would be to be really cautious with everybody,” she said.
“Throughout the four years we were together I never met his family so always check someone’s background.”
DCI Mill said that the people who perpetrate these frauds can be particularly devious.
While there have not been similar cases he is aware of in Fife, he said there have been incidents where the fraudster has been prosecuted, only to go on and re-engage the victim and carry out the fraud again.
“The victim knows they are a fraudster because they’ve been caught, but they will re-engage with the victim and go over the whole elaborate fraud again,” DCI Mill said.
“I’m not aware of it in Fife, but it is documented as having happened.”