Tinder scammer who posed as millionaire cancer patient jailed over £68,000 fraud
Cancer, yachts, and a hefty net worth: a perfect scam recipe?
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- Joseph Gibson was jailed for three years and two months after defrauding four victims of £68,000.
- Gibson posed as a wealthy former elite soldier and falsely claimed he had cancer to secure money.
- Two victims met him on Tinder; one was left with 93p and another entered debt arrangements.
- Police said the fraud caused lasting debt and loss of trust, showing the severe impact of romance scams.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
A conman who posed as a multimillionaire former elite soldier and lied about having cancer to defraud his victims of £68,000 has been jailed.
Joseph Gibson, 35, from Penbryn Nant, in Ruthin, Denbighshire, Wales, defrauded four victims – three women and one man – between July 2020 and October 2021. He met two of the victims on the Tinder dating app and convinced one that they were in a relationship.
To lure the victims, he lied that he was worth hundreds of millions of pounds, at one point claiming to be worth £440 million. He also said he owned yachts and had served in Britain's elite Special Boat Service (SBS).
His first victim was a Devon-based businesswoman whom he met on Tinder. Over four months, she gave Gibson more than £5,200, initially so he could purchase stock for her retail business. In August 2020, he told her that he had cancer and sent a photo of himself from what looked like a hospital bed. The fraud left the woman with just 93p in her bank account.
Another victim he met on Tinder lost £10,000 after he claimed that he could invest the money and turn it into £150,000. Then in 2021, he told her he had cancer and urgently needed private treatment. She took out a £4,000 loan to help fund it and later had to enter an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) to manage debts.
He also defrauded one of her relatives of more than £18,000 and targeted a retired superyacht captain, claiming he'd sold a weapons programme to the US government to purchase a boat.
Bristol Crown Court sentenced Gibson to three years and two months in prison on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to four charges of fraud by false representation.
"Joseph Gibson, you are simply a fraudster," Judge Jaron Crooknorth said.
"It has taken years for you to admit that.
"Pity those who have had the misfortune to have you come into their lives, prey on their affections, steal their money, steal their goals and fracture their relationships."
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Gibson told the court he had £40,000 in savings, but it emerged that he had only about £15,000. He asked for sentencing to be delayed so he could repay his victims, saving £5,000 per month for compensation, but the judge refused and sent him straight to prison.
Avon and Somerset Constabulary lead investigator Jenny Williams said in a statement that Gibson "is a confident and manipulative man who developed an extensive web of lies for his own personal gain".
"The impact of fraud on victims can often be profound and long-lasting, and those duped by Gibson have been left with significant debt, a loss of trust and the difficult task of rebuilding their lives," she added.
