The worst type of woman to meet online

Don’t overlook possibilities of fraud and identity theft

Police recently arrested an online dating scammer who has a long history of stealing money and living extravagantly off men she met online. Just a reminder of the risks you take when you venture into the online dating world. Here are a few things to know:

1. She was arrested at a hotel where she was staying illegally

According to an article in LAist:

The release stated that “Suspect Johnson” had spent more than $250,000 of her victims money since late March 2016.

Authorities arrested Johnson at the luxury hotel in Santa Barbara on the “1200 block of Channel Drive” where she was staying, which can be placed at the tony Four Season Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara (that’s not a run-on sentence, but the actual name of the hotel).The sheriff’s report claims during that stay, she racked up bills in the thousands of dollars. We would love to see an itemized bill.

2. She’s been at it for almost 20 years

According to an article in the Los Angeles Time:

But Johnson’s fraudulent lifestyle began sometime in 1997 in Washington and Oregon, authorities said. She was born in Washington and served at least two years in Washington state prison for identity theft, and she came to California sometime before 2008.

She was arrested in Torrance (Calif.) and served prison time for 11 felony counts of identity theft, grand theft and credit card fraud.

3. She victimized the friends and family of her victims

According to an article in the New York Daily News:

Johnson would change the victim’s mailing address to take over their identity before moving on to steal the identities of their friends and relatives, authorities said. In one case, she allegedly transferred the victim’s phone number to her phone in order to finish the job.

“Investigation revealed Suspect Johnson’s elevated sense of entitlement compelled her to go to great lengths in aggressively assuming identities; no one was immune from being exploited,” according to police.

Typically, she’d use the stolen IDs to move into pricey hotels and rack up thousands of dollars in bills. She even “brazenly attempted to purchase an automobile,” authorities said.