Key facts
- Joseph Gibson was jailed for three years and two months for defrauding four victims.
- He defrauded victims out of a total of £68,000 between July 2020 and October 2021.
- Gibson lied about having cancer, serving in the Special Boat Service, and being a multi-millionaire.
- One victim lost over £5,200 and was left with 93p in her bank account.
- Gibson claimed he had £40,000 in savings for repayment but could only provide £15,000.
Joseph Gibson, 35, from Ruthin, Denbighshire, Wales, has been jailed for three years and two months after defrauding four victims out of a total of £68,000. Gibson pleaded guilty to four charges of fraud by false representation, with the offences occurring between July 2020 and October 2021.
Gibson met two of his victims on dating app Tinder and fabricated elaborate lies to manipulate them. He claimed to have cancer, to have served in the Special Boat Service, to own luxury yachts and cars, and to be worth £400 million. These claims were described by the judge as 'total fantasy.'
One victim, a businesswoman from Devon, lost over £5,200 by giving Gibson money to purchase stock for her retail business. He sent her a photograph of himself in a hospital bed, claiming he had cancer. By the end of the fraud, she had only 93p left in her bank account.
Another victim, also met on Tinder, was convinced to invest £10,000, which Gibson claimed he could turn into £150,000. She also took out a £4,000 loan for alleged private cancer treatment. This victim was later forced to enter an individual voluntary agreement to manage her debts.
Gibson also defrauded the second victim's relative out of more than £18,000. He additionally targeted a retired superyacht captain by falsely claiming he had sold a weapons programme for the US government to buy a boat.
During sentencing, Gibson claimed he had £40,000 in savings to repay his victims, but admitted he could not raise the sum and could only provide £15,000. The judge refused his request to defer sentencing for nine months to repay victims, stating Gibson had tried to deceive the court about his financial situation.
Proceedings have been ordered to begin under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover Gibson's assets for his victims.