SHAMELESS SCAMS

Some people will do anything for a buck

PRICE OF LOVE

Rebecca D'Antonio had never used a dating app before.

But she'd been single for a while and, when a friend suggested she give it a go, she created a profile on OkCupid.

Rebecca, from Florida, US, wrote that she wanted a serious relationship, and said that while she adored kids, she wasn't able to have any of her own.

That's when she received a message from a man called Matthew. He told her he was the widowed dad to a young son after losing his wife to cancer. Soon the pair were texting and calling daily.

Then Matthew told Rebecca he was going on an international business trip and taking his son with him.

On the trip, disaster struck when there was an issue with his credit card and he asked Rebecca for a loan.

Although she thought it was strange to be asked for help so soon, and before Rebecca had been single for a while they'd met, Rebecca agreed.

She told Fox 13, 'His particular hook for me was the kid. I could not leave the child in a bad situation.'

Rebecca ended up loaning him around $150,000, some of which she funded with credit cards.

When her money wasn't returned, she confronted Matthew on the phone.

But it was clear she'd been scammed.

Rebecca hit rock bottom, facing eviction and bankruptcy, but has since got back on track. Sadly her scammer was never caught.

Now she wants to warn other women about the dangers of sending money to new partners.

'Love yourself enough to walk away, run away, because relationships come and go,' she said.

CRUEL CON