Online romance: women have been victims of scam

In 2006, Jivesh Jagota was dubbed the Casanova online and convicted of defrauding a dozen local women, according to the daily Waterloo Region Record.

The crimes followed a similar modus operandi: Jagota met women on the dating site Plenty of Fish and extorted thousands of dollars from them, often posing as a lawyer, medical resident or college student, the daily reads.

At the time, he was sentenced to a three-year term.

Today, Jagota is accused of defrauding a woman from Woodstock. He allegedly extorted $6,800 from her in 2015.

Woodstock police confirmed they received a fraud report in April 2016 and arrested Jagota about six years later in January 2022.

Long lead time

A woman, named Anna, claims to have dated Jagota between March 2019 and April 2020. She adds that she hired a private investigator after having doubts about the man. This detective would then have discovered that an arrest warrant had been issued against Jagota, but that he was still at large. This detective then allegedly pushed the police to arrest Jagota.

The Canadian News is keeping Anna’s full name confidential for security reasons. Radio-Canada does the same.

I want him to accountshe said.

Jagota’s attorney, Nick Cake, told CBC that his client had recently learned of an outstanding warrant of arrest against him. Jagota has been released from post by the officer in charge after surrenderingMe Cake said in an email.

The case is proceeding in court and any comment on the alleged facts would not be appropriate at this time.he added.

None of these allegations have been proven in court.

A lawyer named Jay

Anna also claims to be a victim of Casanova online. According to her, he claimed to be a lawyer named Jay Singh. They met on the dating site Plenty of Fishhad a coffee and immediately hit it off, she said.

Things went very fastsays Anna. I think he told me he probably loved me on the third date, and I believed him.

While they were together, Anna said she gave him around $9,550, thinking he was using the money to expand his law practice, prepare his house for sale, and buy her an engagement ring. She thought they were building a life together, she said.

But in January 2020, Anna realized something was wrong. They never spent long weekends or vacations together. She tried to find it on the Law Society of Ontario website, without success.

In April, Anna decided to stop everything. She asked him to refund the money and to stop contacting her.

Something fishy

He wasn’t just anybody to me. I planned to live with this manshe says.

Even though Anna asked the Casanova online to stop contacting her, she decides to dig deeper into the matter. She hired a private detective. This one quickly found that Jay Singh was in fact Jagota.

Anna then sought to find out more about the man. She found the report from Record from 2006. It basically described a scam similar to the one I had experienced.

Duped

Soon after, Anna found a profile on Plenty of Fish which featured a photo of her former boyfriend. This profile had been uploaded by someone who wanted to warn women on the website not to date him.

Through this profile, she came into contact with other women who had all dated the same man. They are all convinced that it was Jagota even though he presented himself under different false identities. Two of them told the CBC that they had met him on Plenty of Fish while using the name Robert Rhio Singh.

Together, the women’s group hired a second private investigator, who uncovered the outstanding Woodstock warrant for the alleged 2015 fraud. Using social media, the women managed to determine where Jagota lived and reported it to the police in Hamilton – where he resided – and Woodstock police, Anna said.

Asked about the situation, a Hamilton police spokesperson confirmed that Woodstock investigators have requested the department’s assistance with an outstanding warrant. They executed the warrant on January 5, 2022, the spokesperson said.

Ongoing civil action

Today, Anna got back some of the money she claims she gave to Jagota, but she is suing to get the rest back.

Her statement, filed on April 9, 2021, says that after their breakup, Jagota sent Anna six checks for a total of $4,098, but she still owed him $5,473, plus bank withdrawal fees. She is also asking for damages.

In a statement of defense, Jagota said he only accepted a $5,500 loan from Anna, which he has since repaid in full. The statement acknowledges that Jagota and Anna met online and that he used the name Jay Singh, but that was due to professional concerns about his private life.

The defense statement also states that Jagota and Anna’s relationship was short-lived. without substantial long-term expectations on either side.

CBC has reached out to paralegal Joseph Kazubek, who is representing Jagota in the civil case involving Anna, for comment. He replied to CBC in an email that their position is that Anna’s accusation is inaccurate and unfoundedbut declined to speak further at this time.

Online romance and scam

Scams of this type are not uncommon, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center.

Between 2019 and 2021, the amounts obtained by these scammers more than doubled in the country, going from nearly $26.2 million to $64.6 million. $17.8 million has already been lost due to these scams in the first quarter of 2022.

Spokesperson Jeff Horncastle said these scams have always existed, but the internet has allowed them to grow. He added that many of these scams happen without any in-person encounters, based on virtual friendships.

I think that [la pandémie] also played an important role as people were able to search for more companionship online said Mr. Horncastle, the centre’s Acting Communications and Customer Outreach Officer.

It’s much easier to stop a scam from happening than it is to get your money back after the fact, he added. When you’re dating someone, he adds:

• Do not share personal images online.

• Don’t give money to someone you’ve never met or invest with them.

• Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know.

• Be careful who you share your images with, especially intimate photos.

As for Anna, she believes that dating sites need to be better controlled. She also advises women to research people they’ve met online, even after meeting in person.

It may sound harsh, but unfortunately people can go online [et] pretend to be who you want them to beshe added.

Just be vigilant and stay safe, and protect your wallet and your heart.