Arabic version: رجل من فيكتوريا يواجه الحكم في قضية خداع عبر تطبيقات المواعدة

According to ABC News, Stephen James Cross, 43, has pleaded guilty to charges connected to deceiving four women in Gippsland, Victoria, after meeting them through online dating apps. Cross, who used the alias Jimmy Smith, was remanded in custody and is due to return to court for sentencing in October.

The unemployed man entered relationships with the women between September 2021 and November 2023 after connecting through Zoosk and Hinge. He posed as a landscaper and told false stories about workplace injuries, his mother being unwell and hacked bank accounts. He also claimed to own properties in Inverloch and Warragul.

The Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court heard Cross obtained money from three women and attempted to obtain property by deception. One woman, who was in a relationship with him from January 2021 to November 2023, gave him $45,000. She refinanced her mortgage after he asked for $16,000, saying he was in hospital with appendix issues. He later collected $3,000 cash in Warragul after saying he had injured his foot at work.

In September 2023, Cross told the same woman he needed $54,000 after a car accident, but she did not give him the money. Another woman said Cross took her to a $1.6 million Inverloch house in January 2023 and claimed they could live there with their children, despite lacking the means to buy it. A fourth woman did not give him money but reported him to police after learning his real identity through a social-media post.

Defence lawyer John Brancarto told the court Cross accepted that he would be imprisoned and wanted to begin pre-sentence detention. The court heard the offending occurred before and after a previous three-month prison term for similar matters.