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Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
Romance scam victim reveals how crime gang used image of US actor to steal €50k
"I saw the red flags but he always had a story to explain. I just thought I was in love with him and that he was in love with me.' The scammer used a photo of actor Justin Melnick to draw Alida in Alida tells our reporter Patrick O'Connell what happened when she fell for the scam The victim of a €50,000 romance scam lifts the lid on the inner workings of the ruthless crime gang who targeted her and reveals how her life has been left in ruins by their actions. Alida Kuiken (50) from Cork was convicted of money laundering last week after a court heard she'd allowed her bank account to be used by a scammer who, posing as a US marine and using images stolen from US actor Justin Melnick, targeted her through a dating website. A devout Christian, Alida, in an effort to protect other victims, reveals how: The gang used US actor Justin Melnick's images on a bogus 'Plenty of Fish' dating profile to draw in victims; Having convinced Alida she was in contact with a US marine, they sent her doctored videos of Melnick inside a US army helicopter bolstering their story; After the 'couple' became engaged, the criminals convinced her to send her 'fiancé' cash as he couldn't access his bank accounts during missions in Kuwait, Nigeria and Sweden; They even had her sign up to a fake third-party website for partners of US marines — where lump sums were deposited in her name so she could feel secure in sending him thousands of euro at a time; After draining Alida of her cash, her fiancé, now a sergeant, asked her if one of his 'squad-members' family could move €17,000 through her account — implicating Alida in a criminal conspiracy that led to her conviction. 'I grew up in a household with emotional neglect … unintentional emotional neglect,' a devastated Alida told the Sunday World. 'So, when someone comes along and they give you the attention and affection that you've never had, you're more likely to become a victim. That's what happened to me. It was just nice to get that attention and that's how it started.' Alida tells our reporter Patrick O'Connell what happened when she fell for the scam Alida said she met the scammer on Plenty of Fish in February 2021. 'I am a Christian,' she said, 'and the previous December, I cried out to God to choose for me a person that I would want to share my life with.' Alida said after they started chatting she asked the scammer to do a personality test — the results of which showed he was a match for the kind of person she wanted as a partner. But, she continued, they couldn't meet in person due to his job. 'He said he was a US marine and he was in Kuwait. 'He sent me a video, he said he couldn't talk in it because of echo-location, but it was on a helicopter and he showed me inside the helicopter and then back out to show his face again. For me, it looked very real. There were also pictures of him on Plenty of Fish.' Shaking her head, she continues: 'I found out later the pictures were of the actor Justin Melnick from Seal Team. 'But he portrayed himself to be a Christian and he knew [things] about the marines that I thought you would have to be a marine to know.' Alida said the scammer asked for money for the first time when they were two months into their relationship, saying he needed to buy a mobile phone. News in 90 June 4th 'He said he was on camp and didn't have access to his bank account,' she said. 'After that he signed me up to this marine spouse association. 'It had a separate website where you had to create an account and it looked legitimate with support chat and everything. 'He said he could register me as his spouse because he was a sergeant and that I'd get a lump sum for the first two years and then $4,000 dollars a month after that. 'The lump sum was sitting there when I signed in … money I was entitled to as his fiancé. 'And while that money was sitting there, I felt OK giving him money from my bank account. 'In total, for all kinds of different things, I gave him €50,000.' A year and a half into their relationship, the scammer made the move that would end in Alida being convicted of money laundering. The scammer used a photo of actor Justin Melnick to draw Alida in 'He said he was leading a squad with six men and two women and he asked me to help transfer money from one of the squad's family members to that squad member,' Alida said. 'When the money did come in, I said to him it was suspicious – but he said I should trust him. 'I saw the red flags but he always had a story to explain. I just thought I was in love with him and that he was in love with me.' But Alida was right to question the transaction. Dublin Circuit Court heard the €16,997 transferred into her account on September 27 and 28, 2022 had been stolen from a building firm in an invoice redirect scam. After transferring the money on from her account in Bitcoin at her fiancé's request, Alida's account was frozen. 'They wanted a name of the person I had transferred the money to,' Alida recalled. 'At this point, I still didn't know the business had tried to withdraw the money from the bank. 'That was not information that was shared with me, which I can understand now because they thought I was actively involved in this. 'I still believed he (the scammer) was going to retire that December. I was totally taken in – but, you understand, this didn't happen overnight, he had very gradually built up our relationship.' In February 2024, Alida was contacted by gardai and her home was searched. But, she said, it wasn't until the following July that she realised the full extent of the scam in which she was caught up. 'I went to the garda station in July,' she said, 'and that's when I first heard about the company. 'And it was around that time that contact (with the scammer) ceased. I had emailed to say the gardai had confiscated my passports and documents and he emailed back to say: 'Everything will be fine.' I said: 'No, it won't! How can you say that?' I could end up with a criminal record. I could go to jail. My life is over. 'And that was the end. Contact ended. He was gone.' Sentencing Alida for the crime of money laundering, Judge Orla Crowe said that such a long relationship with a person Alida never met spoke to 'a certain level of naivety'. 'Where she is a victim of the organisation of the theft, she did allow her account to be used in an utterly implausible story,' the judge said. She said that Kuiken was not a young person, but an adult with long life experience. 'She was utterly reckless in relation to her own affairs and thus played a part,' the judge said. Noting that the maximum penalty is 14 years, she imposed a one-year sentence on the 50-year-old but suspended it in full.
Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Stalker cop weeps as she dodges jail for 'relentlessly' hounding ex with lies
A suspended police detective who bombarded her ex-boyfriend with abusive messages and calls during a 'relentless' stalking campaign after they split up wept in the dock as she escaped jail today. Sue Thorpe, who worked for Northumbria Police, harassed and verbally abused surf instructor Barry Henderson, 58, when he dumped her. She turned up at his workplace and told lies to his family and friends, alleging he beat up pregnant women and had cheated on her. Thorpe, 44, also humiliated Mr Henderson in a café in front of several witnesses where he was having lunch with a friend, loudly shouting at him: 'He's a sh****r… don't trust him.' Thorpe, a detective constable was jailed for two years, suspended for two years, for stalking, with a 10 year restraining order, banning any contact with him or any person believed to be his partner. She was given a further 12 months to run concurrently for the misuse of the police computer to obtain information about him. Proceedings had heard how she accessed the police national computer and illegally looked up information about Mr Henderson after they split. She had denied stalking and securing unauthorised access to the police national computer, but a jury took less than two hours to find her guilty. Last month judge Amanda Rippon bailed Thorpe, of Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, but earlier warned she could be jailed when she is sentenced. The judge said: 'You should understand these are serious offences. The custody threshold is passed. A prison sentence is not likely but it is possible." Newcastle Crown Court earlier heard how the couple met on dating site Plenty of Fish in 2014 and soon set up home together. Thorpe suffered two miscarriages and underwent unsuccessful IVF. In 2019, their relationship started to fall apart after a series of arguments. In text messages sent before they split in July 2020, Thorpe moaned about having 'zero sex' and complained about always cleaning up after Mr Henderson. During the campaign of harassment she is said to have called and messaged him with abusive messages, some of which accused him of cheating on her dozens of times a day. Thorpe is currently suspended from the Northumbria force, MailOnline reported. Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Dodds, of Northumbria Police's professional standards department, said: 'Her actions were completely unacceptable. 'We can confirm misconduct proceedings are being progressed in relation to the individual, who remains suspended from duty.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Best UK dating sites and apps to help you find love in 2025
Looking for love online is one of the single-most popular ways to meet a new partner. Yet, with so many dating apps and sites available, it can almost feel impossible to find the one that's right for you, especially if you don't want an app that makes you swipe right or left to meet your match. We're here to play matchmaker and have rounded up the best UK dating websites to help you find love in 2025, from free services to those that use impressive personality testing. You can forget about incessant swiping, these websites are all about helping you find a meaningful connection. is perhaps the best known dating site, and it's certainly one of the more well-reputed in the field, honing its algorithm to identify long-term compatibility and facilitate countless first dates, serious relationships and successful marriages. Sign up now Since its launch in 2000, two million people have found love on E Harmony. Its 32-dimension personality test uses psychological truths to identify areas of compatibility between two individuals. The dating site's mission is to foster relationships that last, and every potential match will have a reason behind it. Sign up now Relying on findings from 40 years of research, Parship delivers you a selection of matches based on those it believes are best suited to you, with 9 out of 10 Parship couples still happily together. Sign up now Zoosk is a socially savvy dating site known for its diverse membership base and behavioural matchmaking system. Over 35 million singles in 80 countries have joined the network so far, and it is growing larger every day. The platform offers many different ways to communicate and express interest in members, so it's easy to form a fast connection here. Sign up now The dating site for like-minded singletons over 50, Our Time helps connect those with similar interests and puts on events (in real life!) where you can meet others on the app. Our Time dating services are ideal if you're looking for a no-nonsense approach to mature online dating. The app lets users join for free, but some features are only available with paid subscriptions. Sign up now In 2004, OKCupid's founders launched a free dating site, which delves into what personal attributes made relationships work. OKCupid members can send unlimited messages for free, or upgrade to make use of extra features that will help you gain more insight into prospective matches and really see who is drawn to you. Sign up now Plenty of Fish prides itself on being good for facilitating conversations. It supports 100% free and unlimited messaging for over 120 million monthly users in 20 countries. Sign up now EliteSingles uses a personality test to match users based on their compatibility. The test takes into account looks, personality (with questions on how optimistic and ambitious you are, your social skills, how friends would describe you and more), and what you're looking for in a partner - including whether or not you want children. Sign up now Tailored to matchmaking ambitious, career-savvy young professionals, Inner Circle global community of over seven million members. The app is free to download, but you can upgrade to premium packages. There are also exclusive members events that are set to resume post-lockdown for anyone who is tired of sitting online. Sign up now
Telegraph
14-04-2025
- Telegraph
Stalker policewoman lied about ex-boyfriend ‘beating up pregnant women'
A policewoman lied that her ex-boyfriend had attacked pregnant women as part of a 'relentless' stalking campaign, a court heard. Sue Thorpe, 44, a Northumbria Police detective, was convicted of harassing and verbally abusing Barry Henderson, 58, a surf instructor after he ended their relationship. Newcastle Crown Court was told that Thorpe, who has been suspended by Northumbria Police, met Mr Henderson on Plenty of Fish, the internet dating site, in 2014. A jury heard she suffered two miscarriages and underwent unsuccessful IVF treatment when they tried to have children. Their relationship deteriorated after a series of arguments, including one in 2019 during which Thorpe complained that the couple had 'zero sex' and that she had to regularly clean up after Mr Henderson. Mr Henderson ended the relationship in July 2020, only for Thorpe to begin a year-long stalking campaign, the court heard. The detective constable was accused of phoning Mr Henderson and sending him abusive text messages as often as 40 times a day. Max Holford, a surfing teacher who worked for Mr Henderson, said Thorpe came to their workplace in May 2021 and 'started saying some nasty things about Barry'. Mr Holford said: 'She told me he beat up pregnant women, that he is generally violent towards women, that he was having trouble with the council and he blamed her for that trouble.' Humiliated in cafe The court also heard Thorpe also humiliated Mr Henderson as he ate lunch in a cafe with a friend, shouting an obscenity and saying: 'Don't trust him.' Thorpe was also accused of accessing the police national computer to look up information about Mr Henderson. She was found guilty of stalking and acquiring unauthorised access to the police national computer by a jury after less than two hours. Judge Amanda Rippon bailed Thorpe, from Whitley Bay, and said she could be jailed when she is sentenced next month. 'You should understand these are serious offences,' the judge told Thorpe. 'The custody threshold is passed. A prison sentence is not likely but it is possible.' Det Ch Insp Graeme Dodds, of Northumbria Police's professional standards department, said: '[Thorpe's] actions were completely unacceptable. 'We can confirm misconduct proceedings are being progressed in relation to the individual, who remains suspended from duty.'
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Police: Coventry resident loses more than $100K in online dating scam
COVENTRY, R.I. (WPRI) — Police are urging everyone to be vigilant after a Coventry resident was scammed out of more than $100,000 by someone on an online dating app. In a social media post Thursday, the Coventry Police Department warned that this case shows 'just how devastating online dating scams can be.' The resident had been communicating with a man named 'John Williams' on the dating app Plenty of Fish for several months, according to police. Police said the scammer convinced the victim to send him money through gift cards, wire transfers and Bitcoin. 'This is unfortunately just one example of the many different ways that criminals are looking to steal your money,' the Coventry Police Department wrote. Police are urging everyone in the online dating world to never send money to someone they haven't met in person and to trust their gut instincts. Anyone who believes they've fallen victim to a similar online dating scam is urged to contact the Coventry Police Department by calling (401) 826-1100. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
