A TWISTED romance fraudster who conned lonely men out of £8,000 after meeting them on social media has been jailed.
Leonnie Robson “mercilessly” took advantage of her victims, with one man sending her his last £1.07.
The 35-year-old would spin a cruel web of deceit, making up sick lies including cancer diagnoses, losing a daughter to suicide and fleeing domestic violence.
Norwich Crown Court heard the mum-of-six targeted nine men on Facebook over 14 months.
During her vile campaign, she was sent £8,176, with one victim handing over an eye-watering £3,000.
Another emptied his account for Robson, with the scammer requesting money within minutes of starting conversation.
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She claimed she needed the money for food, bills and even lied about being a victim of fraud herself.
Prosecutor Simon Gladwell told the court she would block her victims once they grew suspicious.
Robson carried out the offences between March 2024 and May last year while she was on licence after serving a second prison term for fraud.
The court heard the mum had 33 previous convictions for 87 offences, including 31 earlier frauds.
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She was finally caught after a carer of one victim reported the fact he was sending money to someone he’d met online.
A police investigation later uncovered eight other victims.
Judge Alice Robinson sentenced the defendant to two years and nine weeks behind bars.
Robson broke down in tears as she learnt her fate from the dock.
Judge Robinson told her she targeted victims before “spinning them lies about your personal life in order to gain their sympathy and trust to persuade them to part with money”.
She said one victim was pursued “mercilessly for everything he had” until he paid over his last £1.07 which was “all he had in his account”.
The judge added: “It’s quite clear this is extremely serious offending” with the crimes taking “significant planning.”
One man said in a victim impact statement: “I thought I’d finally found love and now to realise it was all a lie, is so hard to process.
“I want to find someone to share my life with, but I just can’t open myself up to the pain of this happening again.”
Another said: “Losing this money sucks, but the thing that hurts the most is the confirmation I’m not wanted unless I can be taken advantage of. How am I meant to believe and trust people now in the future?”
A third man added in a statement: “After becoming a victim of fraud, I removed myself from online dating. This is really hard for someone of my age who is battling with feeling alone.
“I want to meet someone and have that companionship, but I’m now so scared of being hurt.
“My confidence has been knocked and where I was willing to meet someone new, I feel that perhaps being alone is a better option.”
Martin Ivory, defending Robson, said she “regrets what she set about doing” and was motivated by financial struggles.
He said Robson, who was formerly addicted to heroin and cocaine, denied targeting people because they were vulnerable.
PC Sally Anderson, who led the investigation for Norfolk Police, said after the hearing: “Robson repeatedly identified ways she could emotionally control and manipulate her victims, and all while she was already on licence for defrauding people.
“Thankfully, because of the courage and bravery of her victims and the strength of their testimonies, Robson was left with no option other than to admit her guilt.
“Romance fraud is a particularly callous offence because not only do fraudsters inflict financial loss on their victims, they also cause an enormous amount of emotional hurt and pain.
“We want to encourage all those who think they’ve been a victim of romance fraud to not feel embarrassed or ashamed but rather report it.
“If you believe that you have been targeted by a romance fraudster, or you believe somebody close to you has been targeted, then please contact Action Fraud so you can begin to get the necessary support and prevent other people from becoming victims.
“We’d always advise to never send money, share bank details, or invest in crypto based on advice from someone you have only met online, regardless of how convincing their story is.”
How to protect yourself from fraud and cyber crime
If you believe you have been victim of a scam call 0300 123 2040.
- Do not give any personal information (name, address, bank details, email or phone number) to organisations or people before verifying their credentials.
- Make sure your computer has up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall installed. Ensure your browser is set to the highest level of security and monitoring to prevent malware issues and computer crimes.
- Remember that banks and financial institutions will not send you an email asking you to click on a link and confirm your bank details. Do not trust such emails, even if they look genuine
- Destroy and preferably shred receipts with your card details on and post with your name and address on.
- Be extremely wary of post, phone calls or emails offering you business deals out of the blue. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always question it.
Source; Action Fraud
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