[imagesource: Getty / Thomas Trutschel / Photothek]

You can catch many things on Tinder, like feelings, a venereal disease, and yourself in a web of lies aimed at swindling you out of money.

In the case of a South African woman who fell for American engineer Larry Cole, having met him on Tinder, it was the latter and she ended up being taken for a cool R2 million over a six-month period.

Cole was actually Roland Enuwese Esosa, according to police, a 30-year-old Nigerian man who appeared in the Stellenbosch Magistrate’s Court this week after being arrested for his involvement in a romance scam.

Below via IOL:

He was arrested last week Wednesday in Northgate Mall in Roodepoort, Gauteng before being brought to Stellenbosch…

Once Esosa had developed a relationship, he made up a story about why he needed money…

According to [John Alexander, lead investigator at Royal Investigations], Esosa is part of an organised crime group targeting vulnerable women who are simply looking for companionship.

“They live a lavish lifestyle with proceeds of crime, and they have never worked an honest day in their life.”

Esosa is facing charges of fraud and money laundering. His case wouldn’t have been helped by the fact that he allegedly attempted to bribe arresting officers with R500 000 to secure his release.

It’s alleged he doubled down on the bribery after a BMW key in his possession led investigators to a vehicle in a nearby parking area, telling officers they could have the car if they let him go free.

[Alexander] believes that Esosa is part of the notorious criminal organisation called ‘Black Axe’ also known as the ‘Neo Black Movement of Africa’.

Image: Supplied to IOL

The organisation has a stronghold in Johannesburg, and their modus operandi consists of romance scams also known as 419 scams.

Alexander says Esosa may be one of the masterminds behind the Black Axe syndicate.

The victim in this case is far from alone.

31-year-old Fortune Nomfusi, who went by the name Craig Allen online, was arrested in January after allegedly scamming a Jozi woman out of R3 million.

Perhaps most notoriously, Amon “Amoleno” Namara, the man dubbed “South Africa’s very own Tinder Swindler”, has appeared in court numerous times this year on charges of fraud and money laundering.

As for the original Tinder Swindler, Simon Leviev (born Shimon Hayut), he’s facing a criminal complaint from the real Leviev family. You may recall he pretended to be the son of millionaire Lev Leviev.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the complaint was filed in the Tel Aviv HaShalom court earlier this month:

“We got a lawyer who will represent us and will do everything to bring this scammer to justice,” said Leviev’s daughter Hagit. “It has to stop one way or another. This crook stole our identity. We were not aware of the size of the scam he did under our name. All our gains from this lawsuit will be donated to his victims.”

Here’s hoping he gets his comeuppance and the victims get restitution.

Tinder, hey – what a wild ride.

[sources:iol&jpost]