A fraudster who conned a woman he met on a dating app out of hundreds of thousands of pounds has been jailed.
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Kye Hughes, 34, from Rochester met the woman in December 2016 after befriending her online. He told her he was a musician and for extra money he also invested in luxury watches.
He told her he could buy the watches at trade price and then sell on for retail price and that if she became involved she would double her money.
On the first occasion she was told to transfer £3,000 for a deposit on the watch and promised her he was investing too. He then told her that someone dropped out and that the price had gone up so she needed to transfer more, and if she didn’t then all her money would be lost.
He continued to ask her to transfer various sums of money for almost a year, promising a return on her investment but it never materialised.
It resulted in her taking out £14,300 worth of loans from seven loan companies, giving him her savings, money from the sale of her car and £2,000 that she had saved for her sister’s wedding. She also asked her parents to help her after he began to use threatening behaviour, saying that there were people waiting for the money and they would start turning up at her house if she did not pay.
In total the victim was defrauded out of £175,235.
She reported him to Kent Police and he was arrested in September 2019. Following a complex investigation by the Serious Economic Crime Unit, Hughes was later charged with fraud by false representation and money laundering. He pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing and at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday 2 October 2023 was jailed for three years and four months.
Detective Sergeant Caroline Dovey said: ‘Victims like in this case are being conned out of their savings and left heartbroken because of conmen like Hughes and we want to do everything we can to prevent innocent people from being exploited.
‘This week is Romance Fraud Awareness Week so this case acts as a timely reminder for people to protect themselves online.
‘We know how this type of offending can affect people and there is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. Fraudsters like Hughes will try every trick in the book to get vulnerable people to part with their money, innocent people who think they are in a loving relationship and we want to find the criminals responsible for that.
‘Anyone who thinks they are being targeted or has been a victim of dating fraud should report it immediately. This information will continue to help us to identify and track down these heartless offenders and bring them to justice.’
Report it
To report fraud contact Action Fraud via their website, or by calling 0300 123 2040. You can also contact Kent Police by visiting www.kent.police.uk. In the event of an emergency, or if a crime is in progress, always call 999. Incidents can also be reported to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or by completing their online form.
More information and advice can be found here