Online dating is a convenient way to meet someone with the hopes of building a relationship, but it also comes with its own inherent dangers.
When a handsome man messaged Diane Guilmette on Plenty of Fish, a Christian dating site for single people looking for love, she was interested. The two set up a romantic date at Morton’s Steakhouse in downtown Los Angeles after a promising back-and-forth conversation.
“A little pricey for me, but I agreed,” Diane told CBS.
Diane noticed her new potential-boyfriend ordering a lot of food at the restaurant, including plenty of appetizers and side dishes, a steak, and a glass of wine. He said he needed to make a phone call as their dinner was wrapping up, and he never returned. That left Dianne with a $163 bill!
Diane, equally shocked and outraged, sought to reach him on the dating app Plenty of Fish, but he had already blocked her from contacting him. In order to warn other ladies, she went public with her story and revealed the scammer’s identify.
That’s when another woman came forward with a story that was almost identical to hers.
The unidentified woman met the same man on the internet. They’d also had a lovely meal together.
He was really complimentary and conversational at first. They were getting along swimmingly. However, as he starting ordering over $100 for himself and said that he was a bodybuilder, the woman said she observed a strange red flag. He “went to the bathroom” when she didn’t respond to his more overt romantic advances, but left her to pay the bill!
After the story broke, authorities caught up with the serial dine-and-dasher, Paul Guadalupe Gonzales. The 45-year-old was charged and pleaded no contest for three counts of defrauding an innkeeper by non-payment and one count of petty theft. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail and three years probation. In addition, Gonzales was ordered to pay restitution to his victims and stay at least 100 yards away from the restaurants he defrauded. He has also been banned from dating sites Plenty of Fish and Bumble, reports CBS News.