Conman claiming to be a billionaire scams 15 women out of at least $360,000 after meeting them on dating sites 

  • John Edward Taylor used Match and eHarmony to find his victims 
  • The 46-year-old posed as a wealthy businessman and oil tycoon 
  • He threatened to reveal sexually explicit photos when a victim confronted him
  • A FBI complaint was filed against Taylor in New York in June 2016 

By Cheyenne Roundtree For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:36 EST, 3 January 2017 | Updated: 17:52 EST, 3 January 2017

A conman scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars out of 15 women after he posed as a billionaire businessman on big-name dating sites.

John Edward Taylor stole up to $360,000 from several women across the United States after pretending to be a wealthy businessman and an oil tycoon, a FBI report claims.

The 46-year-old allegedly would use dating sites such as eHarmony to trick women into relationships in order to steal their identities and gain access to their bank accounts.

John Edward Taylor, 46, scammed at least 15 women out hundreds of thousands of dollars, the FBI claims

Taylor, who also went by Jay Taylor, was operating his scam for the past five years, according to the complaint filed in New York in June 2016, according to NBC New York. 

When a woman - who Taylor charged $60,0000 to an American Express card in her name - confronted him, he threatened to send sexually explicit photos of the woman to her employer, the FBI said. 

Taylor allegedly wrote in a message: 'Have fun at [work]. I'm sending them all.'

He had obtained his victim's social security number when he pretended that he wanted to order furniture for her so he could open a store credit account.

He would meet women from cities such as New York City and Atlanta through a host of online dating sites such as eHarmony, Match and Seeking Arrangement, the complaint stated.

The conman would also trick his victims of their money by 'forgetting his wallet' at hotels or shelling out cash for expensive office rentals once they believed they were hired by him, NBC New York reported. 

To another victim, Taylor allegedly said he was robbed at gunpoint and needed to use her credit card to buy things and spent $17,000. 

Taylor was arrested at country club in Yardley, Pennsylvania and police believe he was living out of his car during the scams.

He faces up to 30 years in prison for charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and threatening interstate communications. 

Taylor would meet his victims from across the United States through online dating sites such as eHarmony and Match, the report claims 


Comments (18)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now