Russian ‘Tinder Swindler’ allegedly scammed 300 women to fund lavish lifestyle

A man dubbed the ‘Russian Tinder Swindler’ has been arrested for allegedly conning 300 women out of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Police in Saint Petersburg seized 42-year-old Dmitry Frolov on 1st March after following a tip-off from a 31-year-old who claimed to be one of his victims.

Investigators believe Frolov had been travelling Russia using false names and documents for more than 10 years, living a life of luxury after conning an estimated 300 women out of tens of millions of rubles.

The conman has been dubbed the Russian Tinder Swindler, but unlike his photogenic Israeli namesake, Frolov is bald, double-chinned, and has a protruding gut.

According to Russian media, Frolov played the part of ‘the cute and caring chubby guy’ to seduce women through the dating app, where he wrote in his bio: ‘Tired of being alone. Looking for a family. Running my small business.’

One of his alleged victims is 35-year-old beauty salon owner Alina Milennaya from Volgograd.

Frolov allegedly conned Alina out of her three-room apartment, her only car, and a loan of RUB 500,000 (£5,300).

She told Komsomolskaya Pravda: ‘His secret is in his self-confidence. He understands what a woman wants, what her priorities are.

‘If there’s a child, he finds a way to connect with them. He identifies weaknesses and targets them.

‘He’s also very intellectually developed, polite, courteous, and well-mannered.

‘He convinced me that as a businesswoman I needed a premium-class car and persuaded me to sell my old one.

‘Then he convinced me that I needed to think about my little daughter’s future and buy a bigger apartment and put it in her name.

‘That’s how I lost six million rubles (£4,000) and ended up practically on the street with a crying child in my arms.’

Another alleged victim, 50-year-old Alexandra Peskova from Moscow, told the daily tabloid newspaper: ‘I talked to him longer than anyone else.

‘He worked on me for over two years. He suggested we build a joint business.. I almost sold our family home near Moscow because of this.

‘He convinced me to give him my Solaris car so that he could eventually buy a big all-wheel-drive vehicle for transporting goods.

‘He’s a very subtle psychologist. If a woman had any doubts, he would immediately give her gifts and shower her with compliments.

‘For example, he sent me on holiday at his expense.

‘I had an illusion that he was generous, although in reality, he was simultaneously spending my 400,000 rubles (£4,200) that I received from selling the car.’

Investigators say Frolov spent his ill-gotten gains on renting expensive country houses and hiring chauffeurs to drive him and his mistresses around in luxury cars- who never received a penny for their work.

After stringing his victims along for a few months, Frolov would further ensnare his victims by hinting at marriage, joint business ventures, or buying a home together.

Frolov’s most recent victim, who preferred to remain anonymous, met him through Tinder, and after just a few dates was convinced to sell her modest car so he could buy her a more luxurious one.

But Frolov allegedly kept the ₽590,000 (£6,300) from the sale for himself, and instead fled to the Moscow suburbs.

The single mother immediately reported him to the police, who later tracked him down and detained him in a cottage in the village of Novinki.

Alina told Komsomolskaya Pravda: ‘He was already so brazen that he thought he could get away with anything.

‘He even deceived those who had no money, and women took out loans for him. He fooled the relatives of his mistresses. He enjoyed it, it gave him an adrenaline rush.’

Investigators found that Frolov hails from a small town called Alexandrov, in Vladimir Oblast. He has previous convictions for theft and fraud dating to the 2000s.

He reportedly confessed: ‘Until 2004, I was married to a woman, and we had a son. But I don’t even remember his birthday. I was deprived of parental rights.

‘I change my place of residence every day. And names, car numbers, and documents.’

Authorities have charged Frolov with fraud, and he could face up to six years behind bars if convicted. At the time of writing, he remains in custody.

Local media reports that he hopes his story will one day be adapted into a film.

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