Two women who were deceived by one of Scotland's most infamous catfish scammers have shared the shocking moment they discovered their online love interest was not a handsome doctor, but a female nurse.
The Elusive 'Dr David Graham'
Former Miss Scotland finalist Abbie Draper, 35, and a retail worker named Samantha, who has asked for her name to be changed, were among several individuals targeted. They each accepted a Facebook friend request from a profile claiming to be 'Dr David Graham' in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Abbie, living in Kilmarnock at the time, believed the attractive medic was caring for her ill grandfather. Samantha, from Glasgow, was drawn in by his compliments about her smile. The imposter built intimate relationships through messages and phone calls, using a voice-changing app, and even sent Samantha flowers and gifts to deepen the illusion.
However, the scam began to unravel when 'David' repeatedly invented excuses to avoid meeting in person, sparking suspicion and turning his victims into amateur detectives.
The Unmasking of a Deceiver
Their investigation is now detailed in the BBC documentary, The Beauty Queen and the Catfish. For Abbie, doubts first emerged after 'David' invited her to perform at a charity ball for medical staff. A stranger's online warning prompted her to call the venue, which had no record of any such event under the doctor's name.
Abbie then created a secret online group, dubbed '007', with other women who had been contacted by the same catfish. Using reverse image searches, they discovered the profile pictures were stolen from Instagram, revealing a complex web of fake profiles designed to validate 'David's' existence.
"I was consumed by it all," Abbie recalled. "Time went so fast, and I didn't sleep... I was sitting on my phone looking for things." Her sleuthing led her to the shocking truth: the person behind the scam was Adele Rennie, a nurse who had actually been working on her grandfather's hospital ward.
"I've seen her side-by-side with my granddad, it's actually quite sickening," Abbie said. "That was someone we put our trust in, it's terrifying."
A Shocking Confrontation and Legal Reckoning
Samantha uncovered the truth by tracking down the hospital 'David' supposedly worked at, using clues from a photograph of a parking ticket he had sent. She waited there with her mother and sister. When 'David' called to say he had arrived for work, they watched as a woman stepped out of the car from the photo.
"It's a woman," Samantha said. The woman was the same person who had previously delivered flowers to her, pretending to be a florist. "It sent shivers through me," she added.
Adele Rennie was first jailed for 22 months in December 2017 for cyber stalking. She was imprisoned again two years later for similar offences, and in 2024 received a further 28-month sentence, with potential release later this year.
Cyber security expert Rory Innes noted the difficulty in prosecuting such cases, stating that without clear financial fraud, police often cannot intervene, forcing victims to investigate themselves and increasing their risk.
The documentary also explores Rennie's background, including a childhood with an alcoholic father who took his own life. Her mother, Christine, expressed shame and devastation, but believes Rennie's latest prison term has changed her. Rennie has issued an apology from prison, vowing she has received help.
All three episodes of The Beauty Queen and the Catfish are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
