A single mother, who was conned out of £18,000 after being enticed into "trading" by a user on a dating app and signing up for online work, is warning others to "listen to your gut feeling". Gabriella Kranyik, 46, a personal fashion assistant from north-west London, began seeking ways to supplement her income earlier this year as she was "struggling financially". She met an individual named Gabriel on the dating app happn, but now suspects this was a pseudonym.
Within two weeks, she was drawn into trading, believing her money would be invested. After making payments of £600 and £1,500, Gabriella was informed that her investments had yielded a profit of $52,406.60 (£39,078.
35). However, when asked to pay taxes and other fees to access the funds, she realised it was a scam. Having lost approximately £10,000, she then signed up for online work to recoup the money, which involved completing tasks, making payments, and withdrawing the profits.
As time passed, she discovered this too was a scam. Gabriella admitted to borrowing around £11,000 from friends and family for both scams, describing the experience as "embarrassing" and "humiliating". She has since set up a fundraising page to help cover her rent, bills, and repay the money she owes.
Gabriella reached out to Action Fraud to report each scam in meticulous detail, but lamented that "nothing happened" a statement corroborated by Action Fraud, which acknowledged receiving two reports but also confirmed that they were not .