Jail for fraudster who 'preyed on victim's generosity' in dating site scam

A fraudster who used a dating website to try to scam a woman into giving him money has been sent to prison.

Sebastian Timmis, who is 30 years old, told his victim that he was looking for someone to fall in love with just 24 hours after they first started messaging, and explained she did not need to keep her dating profile anymore now they had found each other.

He then asked her to transfer him £50 for petrol, telling her his wallet had been stolen.

When challenged, he claimed his friends could not 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 Timmis had previously been sentenced for multiple romance fraud offences.

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.

“We would urge anyone in a similar situation not to hand over money or personal details and to talk it through with family or friends if you feel under pressure.

"If the person you’ve met online genuinely cares for you as they claim, they will not object to you being cautious.

“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.”

Timmis, of Hill View, Marksbury, was handed a 12-week prison sentence at Bath Magistrates Court on Monday 1 August.

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.