Swipe right on justice: 'Love Con Revenge' unveils the truth behind romance scams

If you thought the world of modern dating wasn't challenging enough, “Love Con Revenge” will send even more shivers down your spine.

The shocking Netflix documentary has been amongst the Top 10 Most Watched shows on the platform, including in South Africa, where its exploration of romance scams has viewers glued to their screens.

What makes this six-part series even more captivating is that these are real-life cases of betrayal, heartbreak and horror which five women and a man from America had to endure from their lovers.

They were all lied to, scammed and are now left devastated at how their partners, whom they loved so deeply and opened their pockets up to in a loving bid to offer them financial support, could use them and leave them distraught.

“Love Con Revenge” reflects their deep emotions as they try to reclaim their lives and fight for justice.

Under the expert guidance of "The Tinder Swindler" target Cecilie Fjellhøy and private investigator Brianne Joseph, these victims of romance scams’ cases are investigated in order to attempt to reclaim some of their stolen funds.

Their appearance on “Love Con Revenge” also seeks to bring attention to this treacherous crime, which law enforcement officials are still struggling to manage.

The first episode, titled “Selfie Scammer”, kicked the docu-series off with a bang. It introduced viewers to newly single Jill Schardein from Nashville.

She was dating Todd Dean, whom she met online and instantly fell in love with his charismatic nature. But under the guise of a successful wellness guru, he instead took her money and vanished, leaving Schardein distraught and confused.

Then, in episode two, Fjellhøy and Joseph assist Bridget Phillips, a woman who was conned by Rick Morissey, who extorted money from her by faking his history in the army.

It was sickening to watch the duo uncover the lies he told her to get some money, and this was one of the most poignant episodes of the show.

And while I was still reeling from Morrissey’s antics, the next episode, titled “Fraudster in the Family”, had me astonished and glued to my television.

It featured Florida resident Shareza Jackson, who reconnected with Dorian Wilkerson, a man from high school who claimed to be a successful medical doctor. The two eventually got married, and she helped him start a cosmetic surgery business in Miami. 

Throughout their relationship, he took out massive loans in her name to the value of a whopping $2 million, all under the promise of building a future together.

However, Jackson was devastated when he fumbled the business, left her in debt and more shockingly, was not even a licensed doctor. 

It was exhilarating to see Fjellhøy and Joseph confront Wilkerson. But it was also heartbreaking to see how Jackson and her young daughters, one of whom Wilkerson racked up debt in her name, are still trying to recover from his betrayal.

Another interesting episode featured the first woman scammer of the series. In an episode called “Geek Girl Con”, it unpacked how Sabrina Taylor, a young woman who targeted men from the comics world.

One of them was Aaron Ward, who chronicled how she lied about having a severe illness to gain sympathy and get more money from him.

Other “Love Con Revenge” episodes also left me startled at the emotional and financial impact of romance fraud, which involves con artists using fake personas to gain someone’s love and trust to steal their money.

With this on the rise, particularly with the rising popularity of dating apps, individuals and their families are left shattered.

While I often got emotional watching what these individuals endured during these different romance scams, it was thrilling to see Fjellhøy and Joseph - two powerful women - tracking down the perpetrators.

I admired their passion and dedication, and it was interesting to see the lengths they went through to uncover all of the lies.

I particularly enjoyed Fjellhøy’s appearances. You could tell that these missions were personal for her. After falling victim to “Tinder Swindler” Leviev Israel’s scam after she met him online, they started dating, and then he disappeared with the $200,000 she had borrowed for him.

She spoke passionately about the emotional ordeal, and she was determined to use her experience to hold other romance scammers accountable.

* I give “Love Con Revenge” a four out of five stars.