Wondering what the Top 5 Romance Scams of 2019 were? Unfortunately, for victims and unsuspecting internet users, 2019 was filled with many cons. Romance scams were some of the most successful.
While the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) continues to combat and catch cybercriminals, Social Catfish have been detailing their shocking crimes. These are the five romance scams you’d never want to encounter.
Top 5 Romance Scam Stories
#1: The Tinder Swindler
Celine wasn’t one to be easily fooled. Simon looked and acted like the real deal. Their first date involved taking a private plane to Bulgaria, and the mix of money, chemistry, and adventure meant that she soon fell in love. However, Simon wasn’t the son of a Russian diamond mogul like he’d claimed.
He was a 28 year old Israeli con-man with past criminal allegations against him. Celine started out their love affair as a beautiful 29 year old student with limitless potential. After the Tinder Swindler was done with her, she would end up suicidal and in a mental hospital. Learn how he stole her money through cons and made her realize he’d never loved her at all.
#2: John Meehan
When your nickname is “Dirty John”, people get suspicious, so John Meehan told people he was a doctor. Debra Newell was a successful divorced mother from Orange County and didn’t know that John was a fraud. Instead, she thought she’d found lasting love. Her adult children were far more suspicious.
Their instincts were right, as one of them would end up in a deadly battle with John, which only one of them would survive. The story of John Meehan is shocking enough that it was turned into a popular Podcast called “Dirty John”, as well as a Bravo anthology.
#3: Jette Jacobs
Jette Jacobs was a grandmother. When she fell in love online, she thought it was a dream come true, but she was the target of scammers looking to steal her cash. While the EFCC would find and seek justice against 28-year-old Nigeria suspect Omokoh, who took 90k from her, that was not the end of her story. The rest is tragic and could have been avoided if only Jacobs had received a letter from the Western Australia Consumer Protection in time.
#4: Roxanne Reed
Could internet addiction lead to murder? In Roxanne Reed’s case, she would be charged with felony conspiracy to murder falling in love online. Her primary motivation was that she wanted to get money from her mother, for her online lover, who was conning her online. Would Reed have considered murder if she’d known the red flags of being scammed?
#5: David Messerschmitt
Have you ever taken a chance in the name of love? David Messerschmitt was a successful attorney who thought he was meeting someone named Chris Sanchez for a one night stand at a hotel. Instead of finding no strings attached romance, he would wind up dead.
His killer was a 21-year-old woman who would claim that she killed him as the struggle he gave her when she was robbing him reminded her of a prior assault and caused her to kill him. Police believe it was premeditated due to what they found in her possession.
Which of the top 5 scams do you think is the most terrifying? Let us know in the comments! Please share this article with family and friends to help our mission of stopping cybercriminals in their tracks, through education and awareness.
If you are wondering about the real identity of an online connection or want to verify you’re being told the truth, run an identity check at Social Catfish. Search by name, username, photograph or profile pic, email address, or phone number today: