Winnipeg woman speaking out after alleged romance scam

A Winnipeg woman is speaking out after she says she was the victim of an elaborate romance scam.

“Over the course of six weeks, we talked every day, and I believed that we were establishing a romantic emotional connection,” the woman said. Global News is not identifying the woman as she works with vulnerable youth.

The woman says she met the man on Tinder.

“Within a month of us talking, he asked if I would be open to exclusivity with him as he just wanted to get to know me on a deeper level. And I thought the same. We shared a lot of the same beliefs, thoughts, our ideologies, including like what we wanted in the future for ourselves,” she said.

“At this part of him and I talking for the six weeks, I never really had suspicions or doubts of what he was saying.”

She says the man, who Global News is not identifying, claimed to own a cybersecurity company, and had recently moved to Winnipeg but was on a business trip in Edmonton. She says they arranged to meet up in Toronto, before both returning back to Winnipeg. The woman says she now believes the man was using a fake name.

“He flew me out there. The person that I met in Toronto aligned with what he was telling me over our conversations,’ she said.

She says when she met him, he appeared loving, generous, and protective.

“There was never any moment I thought I was being deceived, he did a very good job making me believe he wanted to take care of me,” the woman said.

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The woman says he told her that his gym locker was broken into while in Edmonton and that his wallet was stolen, sending her photos of a broken gym locker. She says he asked to use her credit card, and they rented a vehicle in Toronto with her credit card.

But, the woman says, when she returned to Winnipeg, things started to change. She says he told her his flight to Winnipeg was delayed, asked her to extend the rental vehicle, and asked if she could send him money.

“I was a little bit hesitant but again I took the benefit of the doubt, so I sent him some money,” she said.

“The turning point as well is when I told him the vehicle needed to be returned and that’s when I began to see a shift in his character, he became a lot more aggressive and volatile.”

Global News has viewed text messages and voice messages from the man, including texts and voice messages of him asking if she had a credit card, asking to use her credit card, and asking if she could transfer him money.

The woman says she made a report with the rental car company, who tracked the vehicle through GPS and found it abandoned in a parking lot. Global News has viewed the incident report and the rental bill.

“What was flabbergasting to me is he continued to portray that he still had the vehicle to extort more money from me,” the woman said.

In total, she says she transferred him nearly $2,700, she was left with a $6,000 rental car bill, and he attempted to charge nearly $15,000 to her credit card, but the woman said she was able to have the credit card charges reversed. She says he also requested an additional $3,000, but she declined.

She says she reported it to the Winnipeg Police Service. A spokesperson for WPS wouldn’t provide specific details on the case, but said the investigation is ongoing.

In the meantime, she says she is speaking out and sharing her story in hopes of preventing other women from falling victim.

“He did a very good job making sure I wouldn’t know who he is,” she said.

“And what concerns me the most is his arrogance in thinking no one would catch him.”

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, romance or relationship scams often target dating apps, but also often occur on social media and online gaming chatrooms.

Jeff Horncastle, the client and communications outreach officer for the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, says often the scammers invest a lot of time in building up a victim’s trust.

“They want to make sure that personal trust is established before they request money or personal information. And unfortunately, we see that last for months before the first request for money happens,” Horncastle told Global News.

“And that’s what makes romance fraud so detrimental not only financially but emotionally as well.”

In the first six months of 2026, there was $23 million in losses related to romance and relationship scams reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. In all of 2025, there was $63 million in losses.

Horncastle says if you feel you may be a victim of a romance or relationship scam, it’s important to stop communication with the individual, and report it to police, your financial institution, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.