Man Poses as Former Guess Model, Scams Thousands From Wealthy Men
 

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/01/19/...e-dating-site/

Model Bree Condon must be relieved now that her online phony is no longer on the loose.

Little to her knowledge, a man was posing as the former Guess girl on the dating Website SeekingMillionaire.com, reports the LA Times.

According to profile #160127, "Bree" was a green-eyed, brunette stunner from Newport Beach, Calif. who was "just looking for Mr. Right." There were some sexy photos posted of Bree and a quick online search matched up the pics with the model/aspiring actress in her Guess jeans campaign and Maxim swim shoots, says the paper.

And talk about creep factor, Brown went into nitty-gritty details, digging up info on Condon's family and siblings so he could use the tidbits in conversation with interested online suitors.

All this lent an air of credibility to Justin Brown, the man behind the scam, who maintained the profile for two whole years. Dates were made but broken, and while there were no in-person meet-ups, there were some (steamy?) telephone conversations. Reportedly, Brown has an abnormally high-pitched voice.

Condon didn't find out about her fake profile until Brown pushed things too far. He contacted John Carbona, a wealthy investor in Fort Meyers, FL and struck up a string of online and phone conversations. Pretty soon, Brown tried to plum Carbona for money, saying that "she" had lost her luggage and was in a financial bind.

Carbona smelled something fishy and tracked down the real Bree Condon and recommended she hire private investigators.

By the time Condon's hired PI's caught up with Brown in an Austin, TX motel, he'd already swindled thousands from wealthy would-be companions, in addition to a small pooch, iPhone and $15,000 from one rich Miami doctor, reports the source.

Now that the con man has been caught, he's in some serious hot water. A grand jury indicted Brown last week on felony theft charges.

This isn't the first sketchy story we've heard in the online dating arena. Recently, a dating and social networking site dropped 5,000 of its members for holiday weight gain.

If it's about money then it's not about love - I say.