Gambling love rat convinced women he met on dating site Plenty Of Fish that he was the 'perfect man' before taking out payday loans in their names leaving one bankrupt
- James Whitehouse, 30, met four women online and gained their trust
- He told them to expect payments to their account and forward them to him
- They did not know he had taken out high-interest loans in their name
- One woman was bankrupted by the cost of repayments
- Whitehouse was jailed for two years at Birmingham Crown Court
Conman: James Whitehouse, pictured, swindled £1,800 from his victims by taking out payday loans in their names
A conman who romanced women he met online then took out payday loans in their names has been jailed.
Gambling addict James Whitehouse, 30, drove one of his victims to bankruptcy after making off with hundreds of pounds and leaving her to deal with high-interest repayments.
He was imprisoned for two years at Birmingham Crown Court after admitting four counts of fraud, totalling £1,800, against victims he met on dating website Plenty of Fish.
The court heard that one of the victims thought Whitehouse was 'the perfect man' until he stole her identity for easy cash.
After using their personal details to apply for loans, he told the four women to expect money to arrive in their bank accounts to be forwarded to him.
Not realising the funds came from high-interest loans companies, his victims sent Whitehouse the payments and were later hit with the bill for the loans he had taken out in their name.
Meanwhile he used the money to fund his gambling habit.
Zaheer Afzal, prosecuting, said: 'Mr Whitehouse befriended women over an internet site, gained their trust and confidence, then exploited them.
'He used the same method in every case and left the victims vulnerable to high interest payments to payday lenders.
'His victims were financially and emotionally exploited.'
Whitehouse first targeted women in February 2011 and struck up another relationship in September last year.
The court heard he went on to fleece two more women after he was arrested the following month, when one of his victims went to the police.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2478206/Love-rat-took-payday-loans-names-women-met-online.html#ixzz2j6gC4W1V
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