.png)
6 months ago
27
A fraudster who scammed women he met on Tinder out of £80,000 by stealing their personal details while on dates with them.
Peter Gray secretly took photos of driving licences and bank cards while on dates with four women, before using them to apply for massive loans.
The 35-year-old portrayed himself as being a loving, caring partner who showered his victims with gifts and even got one of them pregnant.
However, the West Yorkshire man had a dark side bubbling under the surface, and set alarm bells ringing for one of the women when he sent flowers to her home despite not being told where she lived.
Gray, from West Yorkshire, would later leave a trail of ruined lives behind him, with one victim having her mortgage revoked two days before moving into her new home as a result of his actions.
In February this year the conman was jailed for 56 months and handed restraining orders preventing him contacting all four women.
The women involved have warned people to be mindful of similar cons, with one saying it had 'totally ruined my life'. Tinder says it has 'implemented various ways to warn users of potential scams'.
Were YOU affected by this scam? Email matthew.lodge@mailonline.co.uk
Peter Gray (pictured) scammed four women out of £80,000 after meeting them on the dating app Tinder
The scammer took photos of his victim's bank cards and driving licences before applying for bank loans using their details. Pictured: Gray's Tinder profile
When Gray first met his victims he put on the persona of a kind man, with one called Jessica - not her real name - recalling how he was a 'good listener and everything I needed at the time'.
Meeting the fraudster on Tinder in 2018 after she had come out of a six-year relationship, she told BBC Radio 5 Live's Clare McDonnell how she was targeted by him on just their third date.
'I left my bag on his dining table, he went in my bag and took pictures of my driving licence and both my bank cards,' she said.
Using her details he would take out loans worth £9,000 out in her name, with Jessica going to the police after she discovered the fraud despite the conman's attempts to convince her to let him pay it back over time.
She says his actions have 'totally ruined my life' and left her unable to trust strangers.
Another of his victims, Hannah, told the BBC how despite coming across as 'calming and reassuring' she sensed something wasn't quite right with Gray.
Only a week after ending her relationship with the fraudster she received a letter in the post saying she'd had a £20,000 loan application accepted.
He would convince her to take him back months later, showering her with gifts, before she ended it once more due to the 'alarm bells and red flags' that were 'waving high'.
Hannah would later find out she pregnant, but her sister delved into Gray's history and found one of his ex's who warned them about him, with the information tearing her world apart.
Hannah (left) said her world fell apart after her sister (right) found out about Peter Gray's past and told her about him
Gray (pictured here in his police mugshot) was jailed for 56 months and handed restraining orders forbidding him from contacting the women
She says she was determined not to let her child be brought up 'anywhere near such a vile human', adding that her world had 'broken apart in front of my eyes in that half-an-hour conversation'.
In 2020 Gray matched with Elizabeth - not her real name - on the app before pulling off the exact same con.
The warning signs started to appear when he the scammer sent flowers to her home, despite not being told where she lived.
She told the BBC: 'Red flags popped up, but I just kept thinking, stop being silly, you need to be going for a guy that treats you nice.'
It was only when Elizabeth had her mortgage revoked two days before moving into her new house that she realised Gray had obtained a loan of £10,000 using her driving licence.
She says the havoc he has wreaked on her life has left her distrusting of people, and constantly asking 'Is this person who they say they are or are they not?'
Gray was brought to justice after two of the women he scammed invoked the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, also known as Clare's Law, which asks police to do background checks on their partner.
A Tinder spokesman told The Telegraph: 'The unfortunate reality is that scammers may pull on the heartstrings and prey on those looking for love or connection – not just on dating apps but on all online platforms.
'Tinder acts to help prevent and warn users of potential scams or fraud by using AI tools to detect words and phrases and proactively intervene.
'We have implemented various ways to warn users of potential scams or fraud, from in-app features to pop-up messages and education.
'We encourage our users to look for the 'blue tick', which indicates that the user's age and likeness have been verified through our Photo and ID Verification programmes, which require users to submit an official document (either passport or driving licence).
'All users can request that their match be photo-verified prior to messaging. We also partner with NGOs and local authorities to promote awareness of online fraud.'
MailOnline has contacted Tinder for further comment
English (US)