A SOMERSET man has been jailed after trying to deceive a woman he met through a dating site to transfer him money.
Sebastian Timmis was jailed on Monday August 1 after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation for a romance fraud he attempted.
The incident occurred on May 1, 2022, when the 30-year-old began communicating with a woman via a dating site.
After 24 hours had passed, he told her he was looking for someone to fall in love with and that she did not need to keep her dating profile anymore now they had found each other.
Very soon after that he asked her to transfer him £50 for petrol, telling her his wallet had been stolen.
When challenged he claimed his friends couldn’t help him, his family were abroad and he was unable to get to work without her financial help.
Suspicious of what she was being told, the victim chose not to transfer him any money. She did an internet search and found media stories showing Timmis had previously been sentenced for multiple romance fraud offences.
Timmis, of Hill View, Marksbury, was handed a 12-week prison sentence at Bath Magistrates Court.
He was also recalled to prison to serve the remainder of a previous sentence he received last year for similar offences and therefore will not be eligible for release until January 2024.
Officer in the case PC Rory Everitt said: “Timmis has repeated his behaviour, again trying to scam his innocent victim into giving him money. He clearly had no regard for her feelings and tried to prey on her generosity.
“Timmis’ scam was typical of romance fraud cases involving dating sites and shows many of the red flags that victims should be wary of.
“Firstly, the incredibly early declaration of love or talk of a long-term relationship. In this case it was without them meeting each other in person.
“Secondly, that Timmis claimed to be a victim of a theft. This is a typical romance fraudster’s ploy to pull at the victim’s heartstrings.
“And thirdly, he got the victim to communicate with him privately over Snapchat so it couldn’t be monitored. Moving off the dating app is a common tactic.
“If you feel someone is trying to scam you, please report it to the the police or Action Fraud – you could save yourself and others from falling victims to predatory fraudsters.”
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