Love Bombed

Vicky Pattison meets Caroline, who lost her home after matching with prolific romance fraudster Raymond McDonald on a dating site.McDonald was posing as Mark Swift, a stressed-out chef with a seriously ill daughter. Within six months he had proposed, emptied Caroline’s bank account and left her with suspected PTSD. Caroline was in court when McDonald was sent to prison for defrauding her and three other women.Left to rebuild her life, she assumed he’d learnt his lesson - she’s about to find out just how wrong she was.Love Bombed: WifeHunter presented by Vicky Pattison. Writer and Producer: Jane Downs and Barney Rowntree. Investigative reporter: Philippa Goymer. Story Consultant: Barney Rowntree. Sound designer: Kasel Kundola. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Dan Farthing (BBC Investigations NE & Cumbria). Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.Lovebombed was made at BBC Radio Newcastle for BBC Sounds. Visit bbc.co.uk/actionline for help and support on issues raised in this series.

Vicky Pattison uncovers one the UK’s most disturbing and prolific Lovebombers, Raymond McDonald.Discover how one man has been able to repeatedly invent new personas online and use them to scam unsuspecting women for more than twenty years.Despite a court ban he is still on dating apps and talking to women. One of them is us.Have you been love bombed? Tell us your story at lovebombed@bbc.co.uk. Credits: Love Bombed: WifeHunter presented by Vicky Pattison. Writer and Producer: Jane Downs and Barney Rowntree. Investigative reporter: Philippa Goymer. Story Consultant: Barney Rowntree. Sound designer: Kasel Kundola. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Dan Farthing (BBC Investigations NE & Cumbria). Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.Lovebombed was made at BBC Radio Newcastle for BBC Sounds. Visit bbc.co.uk/actionline for help and support on issues raised in this series.

Vicky Pattison talks to author Becky Holmes who has turned the tables on scammers who pretend to be celebrities. They attempt to contact “Elon Musk” and recreate conversations with “Mick Jagger” and “Keanu Reeves” - all spelling and grammatic errors are the fraudsters own.If you have been affected by a scam or fraud, there's help available via bbc.co.uk/actionline on the 'Fraud & Scams" page.Statements from platforms featured:Instagram say that accounts that impersonate someone else are against their Community Guidelines and they remove them when brought to their attention. They say that they have added extra protections to the user’s genuine Facebook and Instagram accounts designed to tackle account impersonation. They say they don’t allow fraudulent activity and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations.X(formerly Twitter) say Impersonation is a violation of their rules. They say that you may not misappropriate the identity of individuals, groups, or organizations or use a fake identity to deceive others. They say when they receive an impersonation report, they will investigate the reported account to determine if it violates the X Rules. Accounts determined to be in violation of their Misleading and Deceptive identities policy will either be suspended or asked to update the account(s) so they no longer violate their policies.Presenter: Vicky Pattison. Producer: Emma Goswell. Sounds Producer: Paul Hilton. Online producer: Rachael Smith. Producer for You Tube: Paul Gay. Visualised Podcast Team: Amita Parekh, Ali Ali, Alicia Thursting, Andy Bosley, Chris House, David Kwan, Natasha Peach, Rafael Bujosa, Rob Grieve and The 44d team. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

A passionate love affair, a clash of cultures, was Michelle's relationship really a romance fraud?Have you been love-bombed? Tell us your story at lovebombed@bbc.co.uk.Visit bbc.co.uk/actionline for help and support on issues raised in this series.

A lockdown friendship sent Suzanne and her business into a spin.

A betrayal by a friend dashes the retirement dream of former aid-worker Rod.

An online relationship with someone who seemed familiar threatened Fionna and her family.

Priya thought he was the love of her life, so why did he want her family heirlooms?

Vicky Pattison explores romance fraud, deception and mental manipulation with people who want to speak up to help expose this crime.Plus a bonus episode with author Becky Holmes who turns the tables on the scammers that lurk online pretending to be celebrities.

Sarah shares why she wanted to tell her story.

Exploring how technology can mask someone’s identity. Anna Rowe, LoveSaid website co-founder, shares how scammers are staying one step ahead.Featuring “This is not Morgan Freeman: A Deepfake Singularity”. Concept and deep fake by Bob de Jong. Freeman's voice is imitated by the Boet Schouwink.

A former scammer based in Nigeria shares his secrets about the world of West African romance fraud.

Follow DI Duncan Wynn from Thames Valley Police and his “high harm unit” as they investigate and support victims.

Sarah suspects something isn't quite right when she asks Alex for proof of his identity and he sends a passport in a different name.Contains themes of mental distress and suicide. Visit bbc.co.uk/actionline for sources of help and support.

Sarah is going to the airport to meet Alex for the very first time. He has sent her the details of his Lagos flight from Nigeria and Sarah is waiting in Arrivals full of anticipation and excitement.

Alex and Sarah get more intimate sharing sexy images, they also make birthday plans for Alex's 12-year-old daughter, Cassie.With insights from forensic linguist and criminologist Dr Elisabeth Carter of Kingston University.

Sarah is looking for a loving relationship outside family responsibilities, Alex and her share lots in common, with promises made to build a life together.Could this be love?

Sarah meets “Alex” online after a friend persuades her to sign up to dating website.

Vicky Pattison explores the story of a woman who was the target of an online fraudster.

Businesses from across Tyneside line up with Coleen and Karen to help bring Greg Wilson to justice.Vicky asks "what was in it for him?" and explores how the deception continues to affect those who were caught up in it the most.Have you been love bombed? Tell us your story at lovebombed@bbc.co.uk.Writer/Producer: Jon Douglas. Technical producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.