A dating fraudster has been jailed for conning five victims out of £400,000, including one person he scammed for 14 years.
Fredrick Diji, 37, of Camberwell, south London, used fake online dating profiles to target his victims during a complex romance fraud that police described as the “ultimate manipulation.”
He made his victims believe they were in a relationship with him before asking for money under false pretences, which he never intended to pay back.
One victim was scammed for 14 years before being told by police the person they were speaking to wasn’t real.
Diji was jailed for eight years after admitting conspiracy to defraud, concealing criminal property and possession of an identity document for improper means.
Co-defendant Racquel Johnson, 43, was jailed for three years and nine months after admitting one count of money laundering.
The pair will spend Christmas behind bars after being jailed at Guildford Crown Court on Friday.
Diji almost exclusively targeted gay men for his fraud, though there were some examples of victims who believed they were speaking to a woman.
Many of the victims were also older or suffered from poor health.
Diji made outlandish excuses to con his victims into handing over cash, including claiming to be stuck in Dutch customs, having been “kidnapped” and needing money to help secure…
