Tinder: Borrowed millions to "save" a fraudster

A Norwegian woman matched with a man on Tinder who posed as a billionaire's son. She took out loans in her own name to help him and was left with millions of kroner in debt.

This concerns misuse by other users, not the service's own security, and does not count in the score.

What happened

A Norwegian woman, then in her twenties and living in London, matched on Tinder with a man who presented himself as the son of a diamond billionaire. According to the BBC, he flew her on a private jet on one of their first dates. He later claimed his life was in danger and that he could not use his own cards. She took out loans and credit cards in her own name to help him. The money financed his lifestyle and his deception of other women. The case became known through VG's investigation in 2019 and later a Netflix documentary. According to NRK, four banks later sued her for NOK 1.2 million, and four years after the fraud she still owed more than NOK 3 million. NRK has reported that Norwegian rules give little protection to victims who took out the loans themselves.

What is documented

• VG's investigation (2019) documented how the man deceived several women he met on Tinder.
• NRK: four banks took her to Nedre Romerike District Court over NOK 1.2 million.
• NRK (2022): four years after the fraud her debt was more than NOK 3 million.

What has not been established

• How much each victim lost in total.
• Whether Tinder had received warnings about the profile beforehand.

What this means for you

1. Never take out loans or credit cards in your own name for someone you met online.
2. Early luxury followed by a sudden crisis that needs money is a classic fraud pattern.
3. Do a reverse image search and talk to someone you trust before sending money.