A mother was one of 17 women targeted by Ryan McVeigh, who admitted defrauding victims out of £81,872 and raping two women. She said: ‘I was in such a panic wondering what I’d got into.’
A mum duped by a Tinder rapist into a bogus relationship has revealed how she hunted down the genuine man whose photos were stolen.
The woman started chatting to someone she thought was Reece Fletcher on Christmas Day in December 2023 after they matched on the dating app Tinder. But in truth, it was serial fraudster Ryan McVeigh masquerading as Fletcher, using images of Yorkshire-based father Gary Stephenson, who had also preyed on 16 other women – including sexually assaulting two.
Over half a year, McVeigh swindled the mum out of £800, pressured her to send explicit photos of herself, and even impersonated his own sister who claimed he had attempted to take his own life.
After posting pictures of “Reece” in a Facebook group, she managed to trace the genuine Gary Stephenson before alerting authorities, reports the Daily Record.
The mum, who wishes to remain anonymous, explained: “We matched on Tinder then started speaking for a whilst on Snapchat. We would talk on the phone until 4am. At first I’d wanted to be sure he was who he said he was and would ask him to send live snaps doing things like touching his nose. I don’t know how he did it but they were actually pictures of the real Gary Stevenson.
“We had planned to meet and he didn’t turn up. He had borrowed money and said he would come to my house or work to return it in cash. I finally told him I didn’t believe him and I was going to the police. I then got a call from a woman, claiming to be his sister, saying she was going to kill me because Reece had tried to harm himself.
“I started calling around hospitals to ask if anyone has been admitted with that name. I was in such a panic wondering what I’d got into. I posted his picture online and other women told me he was a catfish. They told me to Google reverse the images.
“I found the real Gary on Tikitok and reached out to him.”
The mother was among 17 women deceived by McVeigh, who is now facing time behind bars.
She explained: “Gary came back to me and when we spoke I was so upset because I did not expect to hear a different voice. He even video called me to prove it was the real him with his voice and face. I felt like I’d fallen in love with this guy and had spent so much time talking to him but this real guy was someone else who had a fiancé.
“When I finally found out that the person I believed to be Reece was Gary, I felt sick. Now I know this other man knows my deepest secrets and it wasn’t even him. I contacted the police because I was so angry. I asked Gary to send me the names of the girls who had contacted him and I contacted them all. I was devastated.”
At court in November, McVeigh pleaded guilty to defrauding 17 victims out of £81,872 and raping two of the women over a 12-month period.
Deferring sentencing for reports, Judge Lady Drummond told McVeigh: “The scale of your deception, coercion and abuse which you inflicted is staggering. I have received four impact statements, and I may get more. Those who have written describe how devastating the impact of your behaviour has had, placing them in constant fear and financial ruin.”
The mum who was one of the 17 victims added: “When he pled guilty in court, I felt so relieved. I’m so glad that we stopped him from doing this to other women, which he would have.”
For further information and advice, visit www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk. For support with tech-facilitated abuse, visit www.refugetechsafety.org. For Refuge, visit www.refuge.org.uk. The free, confidential NDAH number is 0808 2000 247 and open 24/7.
