A new Netflix documentary titled “The Tinder Swindler” tells the story of a smooth-talking criminal who allegedly scammed a group of women out of thousands of dollars after he wined and dined them.
WCNC Charlotte spoke to a woman who also found herself becoming a target while online dating, and she shared the red flags others should look for.
Yvonne Costales said her scammer did his best to sweep her off her feet at a time when she was putting herself out there and just getting back into dating. She said the conversation quickly turned financial.
Costales told WCNC Charlotte she didn’t know what a romance scam was, but in September, she found out the hard way.
“I’m not a stupid person, I’m not a desperate person, I’m just average … an average grandma, and still they got me on the hook,” she laughed.
After a 10-year break from dating, Costales said she met a man on Tinder and in hindsight realizes there were early red flags.
“In the beginning he asked me if I had any savings, and I said no, and he said, ‘Oh, that’s so unfortunate for you.’ That’s one of the first questions he asked,” she said.
Costales said, over the course of four weeks, the would-be Romeo began courting her.
“He did send me flowers, you know, he wrote me poems, and I’m sorry to say that I sort of fell for it, you know, I got hooked,” she said.
Costales said he always had an excuse not to meet in…
