London mum left penniless by Tinder predator who posed as businessman in fake investment scam

"At the start I thought he was very gentlemanly, she said. He was being flash with money. He was telling me his business was doing very well and making lots of money. He said he could help me to raise money. Using the alias Christopher Telfer, the 38-year-old convinced her to transfer 3,132money she says she desperately needed. This money was so precious to me, she said. I was naive. He said to me that whatever money I had, I could send it to him."

"When Caitlyn asked for her money back, Harkins claimed his bank account had been frozen and demanded more cash to release the first payment. She said she became increasingly frightened as he pressured her to take out loans and overdrafts. I was getting very nervous by now. I had given him all the money I had, she said. He kept saying I could take out bank loans and overdrafts."

"When she texted him asking for proof the investment was genuine, his tone changed sharply. He got super angry. He said, Don't speak to me like that, you're going to regret speaking to me like that.' I was very scared of him at that point. As her personal situation deteriorated, she begged him for even a small amount back. I said to him, I'm begging you I have two children, I'm not working.'"

A mother of two matched a man on Tinder in London in 2020 after separating and being vulnerable. He posed as a successful businessman running a foreign currency exchange scheme and used holiday invitations to gain trust. Using alias Christopher Telfer, he promised to double her savings and convinced her to transfer £3,132 she desperately needed. When she asked for the money back he claimed his bank account was frozen and demanded more cash, pressuring her into loans and overdrafts. His tone turned threatening when asked for proof, then he blocked her, leaving her with nothing and frightened. He repeatedly targeted women using similar tactics.

Read at www.standard.co.uk