A Tinder fraudster within the UK scammed women out of enormous sums by secretly photographing their driving licences so as to take out loans of their names. Photo / Tinder
A Tinder fraudster within the UK scammed women out of £80,000 ($167,000) by secretly photographing their driving licences so as to take out loans of their names.
Peter Gray, 35, who defrauded 4 women he met on the dating app Tinder, was sentenced to 56 months in jail in February and handed restraining orders in relation to the victims.
The victims at the moment are warning others to do background checks on companions they’ve met on-line. One mentioned Gray, from Mirfield, West Yorkshire, had “totally ruined my life” and left her with belief points.
After the incident, Tinder mentioned it had “implemented various ways to warn users of potential scams”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Clare McDonnell, Jessica (which isn’t her actual identify) mentioned she met Gray on the app in 2018 after popping out of a six-year relationship.
She described him as “a good listener and everything I needed at the time”. But throughout their third date, when Jessica was at his house and went to the bathroom, Gray secretly photographed her driving licence and financial institution playing cards.
She mentioned: “I left my bag on his dining table, he went in my bag and took pictures of my driving licence and both my bank cards.”
Jessica later found loans up to the worth of £9000 ($18,800) had been taken out in her identify. Despite Gray providing to pay again the cash over time, she went to the police.
‘Totally ruined my life’
“I didn’t want to be tied to this guy for five years because I barely even knew him,” she mentioned.
She mentioned his actions had “totally ruined my life” and that she has stopped taking identification and financial institution playing cards out on dates. “I don’t trust anybody I meet,” she added.
Hannah, one other lady who met Gray on Tinder, described him as being initially “calming and reassuring”, however added that one thing “didn’t sit right”.
Every week after Hannah ended her relationship with Gray, she acquired an acceptance letter for a mortgage of £20,000 ($41,800) in her identify. Despite this, they rekindled the connection months later after Gray declared his love for her and showered her with presents; nevertheless, she later ended it once more. “I think the alarm bells and red flags were just waving high,” she mentioned.
When Hannah found she was pregnant, her sister regarded into Gray’s previous and located one among his former companions, who warned her of his historical past.
‘Vile human’
Hannah mentioned: “There’s no way that I’m going to let a child be brought up anywhere near such a vile human.
“My world had just literally broken apart in front of my eyes in that half-an-hour conversation.”
Gray repeated the sample as soon as once more when he was matched in 2020 with Elizabeth (not her actual identify), who had her mortgage pulled two days earlier than shifting into her new home, after Gray used her driving licence to safe a mortgage of about £10,000 ($20,900) in her identify.
Elizabeth mentioned: “Red flags popped up, but I just kept thinking, ‘Stop being silly, you need to be going for a guy that treats you nice.’
“You’re constantly thinking, ‘Is this person who they say they are or are they not?’”
Two of the women individually used Clare’s Law, a Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, which permits individuals to ask police for a background test on their companion.
A Tinder spokesman mentioned: “The unfortunate reality is that scammers may pull on the heartstrings and prey on those looking for love or connection – not just on dating apps but on all online platforms.
“Tinder acts to help prevent and warn users of potential scams or fraud by using AI tools to detect words and phrases and proactively intervene.
“We have implemented various ways to warn users of potential scams or fraud, from in-app features to pop-up messages and education.
“We encourage our users to look for the ‘blue tick’, which indicates that the user’s age and likeness have been verified through our Photo and ID Verification programmes, which require users to submit an official document (either passport or driving licence).
“All users can request that their match be photo-verified prior to messaging. We also partner with NGOs and local authorities to promote awareness of online fraud.”