Amie Ford, 30, has been sentenced to 26 months in prison after defrauding a man she met on Tinder of more than £10,000 in an elaborate 11-month scam.
Ford, of Westerhope, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation. The court heard the deception began in October 2017, shortly after she and the victim met on the dating app. Over the following months, she sent the victim fake correspondence purporting to be from a solicitor, Northumbria Police, banks and her aunt, convincing him she needed money for a series of emergencies.
Ford remained outside the UK for around five years after the scam was uncovered, but was arrested at Newcastle International Airport when she returned in July 2023.
Fraudulent claims and forged documents
Rachel Butt, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court: "Over the next twelve months, between October 2017 and September 2018, the defendant induced the victim to part with money, disclose sensitive personal information and incur substantial liabilities through a series of false representations."
In October 2017, Ford told the victim that she and her aunt were stranded in Portugal following disruption to Ryanair flights caused by a strike and needed financial help to return to the UK. The victim sent her almost £700 for accommodation, flights and vehicle hire. Ford purported to repay those monies by depositing cheques into his account, but three cheques she sent bounced.
She then persuaded him to send a further £1,060, claiming her funds had been frozen pending clearance of the cheques. On October 20, Ford provided forged correspondence purporting to be from a firm of solicitors concerning a compensation claim against Ryanair. The victim was told £6,500 in compensation had been secured for himself, Ford and her aunt.
Ms Butt said: "Believing those representations to be genuine, he transferred £5,800 to the defendant, retaining approximately £700 to cover his existing losses."
Deception maintained through fake messages
Shortly afterwards, Ford and the victim began what he believed was a genuine romantic relationship and travelled to Manchester together. Ford arranged for their hotel room to be decorated with birthday balloons and "played the part of his girlfriend".
Over the following months, Ford maintained the deception through communications purporting to come from solicitors, Lloyds Bank, NatWest Bank, IKANO Bank, Northumbria Police and her aunt. Ms Butt said the messages were "designed to reassure the victim and to explain away failed payments, dishonoured cheques, loans and unauthorised transactions". She said the victim was repeatedly told that sums were being processed, held pending security checks or awaiting release.
As part of the deception, the victim disclosed extensive personal and financial information, including bank account details, passwords, passcodes, memorable information, identification documents and payment card details.
Victim impact and sentencing
The fraud ended in September 2018 when the victim contacted Ford's aunt via Facebook. She told him she knew nothing about the purported Ryanair compensation claim, banking difficulties or extensive correspondence he had been receiving. Ms Butt said: "The victim then realised that [previous] communications attributed to the aunt had not originated from her. When challenged, the defendant accepted that the matter had been a scam."
The court heard the victim estimates he suffered direct financial losses of between £10,000 and £12,000. He also accumulated significant debt, required financial assistance from family and friends, and underwent counselling. In a victim impact statement, the man described the fraud as "the hardest thing I've ever had to endure" and "a prolonged betrayal by someone I trusted and genuinely believed I was building a relationship with". He said he is now in a loving relationship but "the trauma has not disappeared".
Sentencing Ford, Recorder Nick Turner said the victim had outlined in "painful detail the acts of deceit". He told Ford: "They were calculated cynical and heartless. He met you on Tinder and became very fond of you - a fact you exploited mercilessly." He added: "He feels his credulity was naïve. Perhaps it was but you had found a trusting soul whose goodwill you could exploit and you went about that in a determined, persistent fashion. I've no doubt this was a hellish time for him. You were witness to his desperation, knowing it was of your making, yet still you continued in your deceit. The only word I can find to describe this behaviour is heartless."
Ian Hudson, defending, said Ford is a full-time carer for her grandmother, with whom she lives, and helps with her autistic nephew.
