The North Tyneside dating app conman who tricked women could have 'hundreds' more victims
by Owen Younger · ChronicleLiveA North Tyneside dating app conman who tricked women could have 'hundreds' more victims. Raymond McDonald, 51, is currently serving the latest of several prison sentences for fraud and romance scams.
The prolific fraudster, who has scammed women out of thousands of pounds with his lies, last left prison in December 2023, and was soon attempting to get money from several others. He returned to jail in August, for 'fairy-tale' frauds on three more women.
McDonald, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud between December last year and March, and was jailed for four-and-a-half years, as well as being given lifelong restraining orders in respect of each of the victims. Back in 2016, McDonald was jailed for seven-and-a-half years, for tricking victims out of more than £30,000.
At the time of his most recent conviction, Newcastle Crown Court heard that McDonald has 58 previous convictions, including 40 for fraud and similar offences, and 12 for theft.
'Paula', one of the women who McDonald has scammed, said this to the BBC: "He just made you feel, I don't know, wanted. Special. I hadn't been in a relationship for such a long time. I suppose in hindsight, it was what I wanted to hear."
Raymond has lied about his occupation and how much money he has to every one of the women he has tricked. He has even gone as far as to tell his victims that his mother had cancer and died, when she is in fact very much alive.
Speaking to the BBC, Detective Saad Sheban, of Northumbria Police who is the latest to put McDonald behind bars, said: "People normally think 'dangerous' is somebody who can physically hurt you, make you bleed, but Raymond hurts people emotionally.
"McDonald is a serial scammer who routinely preys on women who are just trying to find a life companion."
Asked if there could be more victims of McDonalds, Detective Sheban added: "It'll be hundreds during this time."
He went on: "Ray was in denial. He didn't believe he'd scammed anyone, and he didn’t believe what he'd done was wrong.
"That's what the scary part is. Once you think what you're doing is absolutely right then you're not going to stop."
If you have been impacted by this, or think you may have been scammed by Raymond McDonald, then police are encouraging people to get in touch with them here, or via Action Fraud here.
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