It is easy to see why there is a big business based around people looking for love. We are bombarded with images and messages of the importance of being in love and in a relationship, so much so that single people often feel as though they are uncomplete or missing out on something. There are many different feelings and emotions associated with loneliness and it is fair to say that some people find it harder than others to meet new people and hit it off. This is why there is a market for businesses that can help bring people together and in the era of the internet, there has never been an easier way to bring folk together.
Whether it is online dating, match-making apps or sites that promise to vet potential candidates and then bring them together with likeminded people, there are plenty of ways to find the love of your life. Sadly, the fact that so many people are willing to pay money for this style of service, and the desperation that many people feel about their quest to find love, means that fraudsters have the opportunity to make a quick killing. You should always be cautious about finding love online, for many reasons. It may be that people are not who they say they are with respect to their personality or their aims for love. This can put people at danger but it can also impact on people’s finances.
Fraudster cons a number of women
This has been seen with a recent case where a man has been jailed for 8 years after conning large sums of money from people who he met online. Matthew Samuels, a 50 year old father of 10, has been jailed after conning five separate women out of a sum of money close to £200,000. Samuels was facing charges of eight counts of fraud but he was cleared of three of these counts.
The offences took place between April of 2011 and July of 2015 and the presiding judge felt moved to state that the action undertaken by Samuels was devious and with no thought as to the emotional damage that would have been caused to his victims. It can be all too easy to focus on the large sums of money but for the women involved, the emotional impact of the deception would have been sorely felt.
Victims will already be at a low ebb
When people are looking for love online, they may be at a low ebb, thinking that this is the only way that they will be able to find love. To find that these hopes have been dashed will cause them considerable pain but the financial cost that comes on top of the emotional pain will only make the matter worse. The financial element of the crime is the tangible element, which means that it should be the area that is focused on but for many of the victims, it is the emotional stress and hurt of the crime that will have impacted on them the most.
One of the women who were the victim of the man stated that they have been completely destroyed while saying that they do not foresee themselves being in a relationship ever again. The fact that someone can be so callous and evil is definitely something that will leave a scar on the victim.
When evaluating this sort of crime, it can be difficult to be fair because there are so many emotional aspects involved with the crime. However, this is why there is a need to hire a strong lawyer to represent you. An experienced fraud solicitor will be able to focus on the facts of the case and then build a defence built around the circumstances of the cases and of the individuals involved. It may seem like the sort of crime where a severe punishment is due but this is where a reliable and effective defence solicitor can strip away some of the over-riding emotions and present the findings and facts of the case.
This sort of case should serve as an example of the need to be safe online and to protect yourself as much as you can. However, with people looking for love, it is only natural that they will put themselves in a position where they run the risk of being conned or made a fool of.
Andrew Reilly is a freelance writer with a focus on news stories and consumer interest articles. He has been writing professionally for 9 years but has been writing for as long as he can care to remember. When Andrew isn’t sat behind a laptop or researching a story, he will be found watching a gig or a game of football.