A man who defrauded women on dating sites has been jailed for three years.
Ivan Nkazi from Belle Vale pleaded guilty to 11 counts of fraud and four counts of malicious communications in a series of ‘romance fraud’ offences.
The 31-year-old hid behind various aliases and photographs on a number of dating sites that included Plenty of Fish, Tinder and Bumble among them.
One of the images used by him was of American basketball player Serge Ibaka.
Nkazi, originally from The Congo, used multlple names such as Dior Leblanc, Gerard Le Blanc, Lancel Lenoir, Lavin and Jerome as part of his scam.
Some of the women who his accounts engaged with would send intimate photos which were then used by him to blackmail them into sending him money.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Nkazi had conned nearly £24,000 out of 20 different women and had even threatened to throw acid in their faces.
He operated the scam for at least four years and even did so when police began studying his behaviour as part of a wide-ranging probe into him.
In sentencing, the judge described Nkazi as ‘cynical and arrogant’ in his actions.
Detective Sergeant Chris Hawitt said: “Nkazi defrauded his victims when he contacted them through dating websites pretending to be someone else.
“Here, he would blackmail and even threaten some victims into paying him large sums of money. All the time, never having any intention of engaging in a real relationship with them.
“He is also reported to have threatened to throw acid in some victim’s faces, turn up at their work and harm their families.
“Nkazi, who was originally arrested by Cheshire Police on 8th January 2018, carried on engaging with women across the country whilst under investigation.
“The case was passed to Merseyside Police, where after a further two week investigation, Nkazi was again arrested, charged and remanded in custody.
“Nkazi is a cruel human being who manipulated countless women for his own financial gain. He clearly had no respect for those he was speaking to and tricked them into thinking he had feelings for them.
“I hope he takes this time to reflect on the emotional and financial torment he has inflicted on these women and they can also find some closure in this court result.
“I would continue encouraging anyone using any social media or dating websites to take extra care when speaking to people they don’t know.
“Remain cautious regardless of how believable the person or their profile claims to be.”
Anyone that also has been a victim of fraud, regardless of the motive, is urged to get in touch with Merseyside Police via @MerPolCC or by calling 101.