A callous romance fraudster who paid for his horse's upkeep with thousands of pounds he scammed from a kind-hearted victim has been warned by a judge he could be jailed.
Adam Mowle, 34 - whose Facebook page features several pictures of him riding and showjumping – posed as a woman called Jenna Smith on a dating app.
'Jenna' was contacted by a man who was convinced that he was becoming involved in what would be 'a long-term relationship' with his dream woman.
Greedy Mowle reeled him in and persuaded him to transfer over £9,165, saying that 'Jenna' needed to borrow it due to illness in the family and financial difficulties.
When the man eventually realised he had been conned, he started gambling in a desperate bid to recoup his loss and ended up another £93,000 out of pocket.
Mowle, of Harwich, Essex, admitted acquiring criminal property by fraud when he appeared at Ipswich Crown Court last week.
His sentencing was adjourned until March 18 by District Judge Matthew Bone, who warned him that jail was one of the options he was considering.
The judge noted there had been multiple payments from other sources coming into Mowle's bank account, including some referencing 'Jenna'.
Adam Mowle, 34, set up a fake account on a dating app in which he pretended to be a woman named Jenna Smith
This suggested that Mowle had duped other men into transferring cash to his fake online persona but none of the other suspected victims wanted to make an official complaint about being duped.
Lee Nunn, a senior officer at Suffolk Trading Standards, revealed the suspicious amounts received by Mowle amounted to a 'five-figure' sum overall.
The court was told on Tuesday that Mowle had spent the proceeds of his crime on his horse and general living expenses.
His victim, who didn't want to be named, said: 'In January 2019, I "matched" with a female called Jenna Leigh Smith on a dating app and, as our relationship developed, I genuinely thought that this was the start of a long-term relationship.
'I felt genuine sorrow for the problems Jenna told me she was having that included her father having cancer and her own serious health issues.
'Jenna told me that she was struggling financially. I felt confident I could lend her money to assist her in the short term and she would pay me back.
'It was not until I suspected Jenna was lying to me that I realised I had paid £9,135 into an account that I thought at the time was owned by Jenna.
'The personal impact that the relationship with Jenna and losing nearly £10,000 has had on my life is significant and has destroyed my mental health.
Mowle, of Harwich, Essex, admitted acquiring criminal property by fraud when he appeared at Ipswich Crown Court
'I felt the need to gamble to try and get something back. This has led to me losing £93,000 to try and recoup the money I paid into Mowle's bank account, going into a deep state of depression and having to seek help via medication and counselling.
'The situation was so bleak that I seriously considered taking my own life.
'This crime has cost me any chance of having a relationship due to my lack of trust and has led to spiralling depression. That then led to gambling that has further ruined my life and future.'
Mr Nunn paid tribute to the victim for coming forward, saying the prosecution was only possible due to his 'courage and determination'.
Mowle used his 'detailed knowledge of the victim's local area to build trust' and had shown 'complete disregard for his emotional and financial wellbeing', he said.
Graham Crisp, head of Suffolk Trading Standards, said after the hearing: 'Mowle has repeatedly shown no regard for his victim.'
Councillor Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for public health and public protection, added: 'Romance fraud is a cruel crime which causes serious financial and emotional harm to its victims.
'I would ask anyone in an online relationship to be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have not met in person.
Mowle's victim handed over more than £9,000 then lost another £93,000 gambling in a desperate attempt to win back his losses when he learned he had been duped
Other potential victims were thought to have been paying money to 'Jenna Smith', Suffolk Trading Standards said, but they 'felt unable to come forward to support the investigation'
'Speak to friends and family to get advice. Stop and think - is this person who they say they are?'
A 2024 survey by Barclays found reports of romance scams had surged by 139 per cent between March to April and May to June that year.
Men reported the majority of romance scams to the bank, while women typically lost the most money.
On average, female victims handed over £8,900, while men gave around £3,500.
Kirsty Adams, a fraud and scams expert at Barclays, said at the time: 'It may be surprising to see that men more often fall victim to romance scams, as stereotypes have often incorrectly painted women as more susceptible.
'This is backed by our additional research, which shows that men are generally more willing than women to transfer money to people they have recently started dating, even if they are yet to meet in person.'
