“It’s just mind-blowing” – Love Con Revenge star Brianne Joseph shares the shocking lengths fraudsters take to manipulate victims

Romance scams often involve carefully constructed identities designed to gain trust and exploit victims. In Love Con Revenge, private investigator Brianne Joseph highlights the extreme efforts fraudsters make in these schemes. As Joseph explains,

“It’s just mind-blowing the extent that this guy goes through to create this fake persona simply to defraud someone.”

The series documents how scammers employ false professions, fabricated tragedies, and financial manipulation to maintain control over their targets. These strategies reveal the deliberate measures taken to sustain deception, demonstrating the calculated approach behind many of the cases presented.

Love Con Revenge exposes the tactics and consequences of romance fraud

Fraudsters’ elaborate tactics revealed

Each episode of Love Con Revenge details the techniques scammers use to create convincing narratives. Victims often encounter individuals who claim prestigious professions or invent personal hardships. Cecilie Fjellhøy explained that these encounters happen in person and are not isolated incidents, stressing that this occurs “every single day” and that awareness is necessary.

In one case, Bridget was misled by Ricky, a former U.S. Army soldier who fabricated stories of trauma and loss to secure her trust. Fjellhøy described his methods, stating,

“Using a dead man’s legacy and memory to take someone’s money to get that empathy - horrendous.”

Ricky was later tried and found guilty on three felony counts of fraud and larceny. His case demonstrated how deception can extend for years, leaving long-term consequences for victims.

Joseph emphasized that some perpetrators integrate into victims’ personal lives to maintain their false identities. She explained that he allowed children to take his last name to create that "persona," which completely devastated them. These accounts underscore how far scammers will go to sustain their schemes and avoid detection.

Outcomes for victims and perpetrators

The series documents the aftermath of multiple cases, highlighting varying legal and personal results. In Episode 1, the Selfie Scammer identified as Todd declared bankruptcy and sold his business after several women came forward with fraud claims. Joseph and Fjellhøy continued to follow the case, noting that achieving "justice" remains an ongoing process.

Some cases progressed further through legal action. Christopher, known as the “Major League Scammer,” faced a 14-count federal indictment for using dating apps to defraud victims of over $2 million. Fjellhøy observed the federal involvement, saying,

“When the FBI is taking on [the case], that’s serious.”

Other cases remain unresolved or ended without formal charges. Dorian, central to Episode 3’s Fraudster in the Family, has not faced prosecution despite allegations of misrepresentation. Victim Shareza later faced her own legal claim related to a police report, highlighting the complexity surrounding some of these ""investigations"" and the challenges in achieving legal resolution.

Confronting scammers and reclaiming agency

The series also includes moments where victims directly confronted their perpetrators. These confrontations occurred under controlled circumstances and only with the victims’ consent. Fjellhøy explained that confronting scammers is not for everyone to do and that it needs to come from the victim in the right ""setting"" and at the right time.

Joseph noted the importance of supporting victims through the process, stating,

“We didn’t want it to be chaotic, and we didn’t want it to be a dangerous moment. It’s not about yelling and screaming and just trying to have a moment. It was really just to give them their voice back … to express the frustration and the hurt.”

Stay tuned for more updates.