Livingston scammer faces prison for dating app fraud
Michael Higgins scammed a fortune from women he met on dating sites. He used these funds to, among other things, maintain a luxurious lifestyle. According to the "Daily Mail," he now faces a prison sentence.
Michael Higgins, a 42-year-old resident of Livingston, Scotland, appeared in court and pleaded guilty to 11 fraud offenses committed between 2020 and 2022. He swindled over £18,000 (over CAD 30,000) from 15 people. Higgins primarily operated through dating apps, where he would form relationships with women, gain their trust, and then extract money from them.
One of the victims was Fleur Brand, to whom Higgins promised cheap Apple products, claiming that his job at a financial company gave him access to such deals. The woman paid £350 (about CAD 580) for an iPad Pro but never received it.
Another victim, Katie Black, lost over £6,000 (about CAD 9,700) to Higgins. The man convinced her that he needed financial help due to issues with accessing online banking, sudden expenses on his sister's veterinary bills, and the need to support his mother, who supposedly had no money for food. The woman spent all her savings on him.
Higgins did not limit himself to scamming individuals he met online. Using connections from Deer Park and Newbattle golf clubs, he offered acquaintances paid reservations at the renowned St Andrews Old Course for £145 (about CAD 235) per person. Despite the payments, the promised golf rounds never took place. He also scammed one of his friends out of £1,475 (about CAD 2,390), pretending to organize a luxurious three-day golf trip to Spain, which ultimately turned out to be fiction.
He scammed the most from a lovestruck retiree
One of Higgins' victims was an older woman, a retiree working for a loan company. The man convinced her that he urgently needed funds for leg surgery in a private hospital in London.
According to the "Daily Mail," the woman made as many as 127 transfers to his account over two years, totalling £6,490 (about CAD 10,500). When the police informed her that she had been a victim of fraud, the woman was so deeply shocked that she vomited twice while giving her statement.
An investigation was launched after a report from Fleur Brand, one of the first women Higgins scammed. In 2022, Brand went public with her experiences, which helped reveal further victims.
As the "Daily Mail reported," Higgins mainly used the scammed money for gambling and buying luxury clothing. He faces a prison sentence. He has been released on bail, and the court has postponed sentencing until next month.
