One California man has taken dating red flags to a whole new level.
Christopher Earl Lloyd was arrested on July 24 on a 14-count federal indictment after he allegedly used dating apps to scam his dates out of $2 million, according to a July 24 press release from the Central District of California’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The 39-year-old from Whittier, Calif., was charged with 13 counts of wire fraud and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property related to the fraud, according to the indictment. He faces 20 years in federal prison for each of the 13 wire fraud counts and up to 10 years in prison for the monetary transaction count.
The attorney’s office said Lloyd used dating apps including Tinder, Hinge and Bumble from April 2021 to February 2024 to con his victims out of their money by giving “them the impression that he was financially successful and knowledgeable about investments.”
Lloyd claimed that he had been a financial manager for years, was vice president of a company called Planet 13 Holdings and had worked for an investment company called Landmark Associates—all of which were falsehoods, according to the press release.
He allegedly offered his victims financial advice, telling them he would invest their money for them and guaranteed a return on those investments, saying they could pull out their money whenever they chose, per the doc.
He then took it a step further by giving his victims contracts to sign, per the attorney’s office, which notes that the dates would send him money “via wire transfers, Cash App, Zelle, or cash payments.”
The release said that Lloyd would then use the money for his “personal benefit,” including withdrawing $40,000 that a victim sent him to write a check for a Lexus dealership in Mission Viejo, Calif.
Lloyd made his initial appearance for arraignment on felony charges on July 24 at the United States District Court in Santa Ana. E! News has not been able to confirm if he has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.
