Victim Says 'Scottish Tinder Swindler' Staged Romantic Getaway Before Conviction

A woman in Scotland has told how she was conned out of £3,247 by Christopher Harkins — a man later convicted of rape, assault and other offences — after a romantic getaway arranged through the Tinder dating app, she says in Prime Video’s upcoming documentary "Catching the Tinder Predator."

The victim, identified only as Shannon in the documentary, described a rapid courtship after first connecting with Harkins on the app. She said the pair decided to book a holiday after knowing each other for only a few weeks, and that the trip preceded attempts by Harkins to defraud her.

"After the holiday was booked, I felt really excited, and in disbelief a little bit," Shannon says in the programme. "I understand that this isn't something that everybody would do. I get that this is a spontaneous move. Some people would say crazy given that we had known each other for a period of weeks, but we both were young, free, single." Her name has been changed for the documentary.

Harkins was jailed for 12 years in July last year after being convicted of 19 offences, including rape, assault and physical abuse. Media reports have dubbed him the "Scottish Tinder Swindler" amid accounts from multiple women of romance fraud and other criminal behaviour linked to online encounters.

Shannon told filmmakers that what began as a seemingly perfect relationship turned sinister following the holiday and that she was later persuaded to hand over money. The documentary assembles victim testimony to outline how some perpetrators use dating platforms to establish trust before committing offences, according to its promotional material.

The case underscores wider concerns about the risks posed by digital dating platforms. Advocates and law enforcement agencies have increasingly highlighted how online relationships can be exploited for financial gain or to facilitate sexual and physical offences. Streaming services and broadcasters have responded by commissioning investigative programmes that examine how crimes can originate through apps and social media.

Harkins' July conviction followed a police investigation and trial. Prosecutors argued that a pattern of offending, including manipulative behaviour and violence, culminated in multiple charges. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, reflecting the scope and severity of the convictions recorded at trial.

The documentary is among a growing number of productions that aim to document victims’ experiences and to raise public awareness about online safety. Prime Video has described "Catching the Tinder Predator" as an exploration of how some individuals use dating apps to groom, deceive and, in some cases, perpetrate crimes against those they meet online.

Shannon’s account places a spotlight on the personal and financial toll of romance fraud. She and other interviewees in the programme call for greater vigilance by users and stronger safeguards from platforms that host online dating services. The documentary will be available on Prime Video; a release date was provided in promotional materials for the streaming service.

Representatives for Harkins did not respond to requests for comment in coverage surrounding his earlier trial. Tinder and Prime Video did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the programme or the platform’s safety measures.

The film contributes to an ongoing public conversation about how technology can facilitate new forms of criminality while also creating challenges for policing and victim support. It documents one woman's experience of how an online encounter turned into financial loss and later surfaced amid a broader criminal case that resulted in a lengthy prison sentence.