For Love or Money - Episode Guide

Kym Marsh and Ashley John-Baptiste are on the trail of the criminals extorting vast amounts of money from unsuspecting victims under the guise of love. Today, they're investigating a man who, after targeting a businesswoman on a dating site, proceeded to trick her over a period of months out of almost £60,000. As they unravel the evidence that allowed the fraudster to appear so plausible, there's a dramatic showdown with the man himself. Also, one man reveals what it's like to have your photos stolen and used as part of an online 'catfishing' campaign, and an extraordinary international con is exposed.

Kym Marsh and Ashley John-Baptiste meet a man conned out of his life savings by a woman he'd struck up a relationship with who claimed to be in the US military. Worse still, as the truth is revealed, it becomes clear he's unwittingly been dragged into a money-laundering con. Could his pursuit of love end with him facing prosecution? Plus a woman scammed a second time when she thought she was bringing the fraudsters to book, and how another victim robbed of their money is now fighting back to help others.

Kym Marsh and Ashley John-Baptiste are on the trail of the criminals at the heart of online romance frauds, unravelling the elaborate stories aimed at conning you out of your money. Today, there's a showdown as they track down the so-called surgeon who broke one woman's heart and made off with her savings. Plus how one man battled back after what he'd hoped was his dream woman took away both his cash and his confidence, and the ease with which social media profiles and pictures can be hijacked by criminals.

Kym Marsh and Ashley John-Baptiste investigate more online romance scams and reveal how to stop the criminals in their tracks. After tracking down the man behind an elaborate global con, the tables are turned in a confrontation that exposes just how far the scammers will go to get their hands on your cash. And, as victims reveal how they were conned out of thousands of pounds, one woman tells of her battle to bring the people responsible to justice.

Kym Marsh and Ashley John-Baptiste hunt down the culprits behind online romance fraud to hold those responsible to account. As they get to the bottom of a particularly elaborate scam, they discover ingenious ways that criminals use technology to make their demands for cash seem plausible. As one woman reveals how she was tricked into parting with £35,000, a man whose image has been used to scam a string of different women explains the impact it has had on him. Plus how a Hollywood star's identity was used to hoodwink one of his biggest fans.

When Tina met Andrew online, she was swept off her feet, but as soon as they started making plans to spend the rest of their life together his requests for money began.

Are his sob stories of remarkable bad fortune for real, or is Tina being conned? Ash and Kym are on the case.

Elsewhere DS Marc Cananur and his fraud squad team uncover a treasure trove of designer goods and cash that might be the key evidence needed to expose an elaborate fraud.

When Paul met a new partner on a dating site, he thought he'd met the woman of his dreams.

But when she started asking for large sums of his money to help unlock a treasure trove she'd inherited, their relationship took an expensively dark turn. Is she the true love of his life - or just an exploitative gold-digger?

Kym and Ashley promise to find out...

After her husband passed away, Jaqueline ventured online to look for love once again.

She met a man named Bobby, who initially seemed like the perfect gentlemen. But over an eight-year period he targeted her life savings, stealing a six-figure sum before disappearing.

Now, several years on, a solicitor has been in touch, claiming Bobby has died and left Jaqueline money in his estate. Is this a genuine inheritance, or just the latest stage of a sickening scam?

Ash and Kym are determined to find out...

When Christian started an online relationship with a woman called Stephanie, who was in France, he thought his life had changed for the better.

But then she started making requests for her money. Initially he gave her what he could, but when her pleas became incessant and he tried to walk away, she began to make horrifying threats that he fears could ruin his life. 

Can Ash and Kym come to his aid?

After separating from his wife of 25 years Graham met gold trader Maryanne online, and fell in love.

But then she told him she was stuck in Dubai and needed his financial help to get back to the UK, setting in motion a downward spiral that would cost Graham thousands - and lose him his home.

Ash and Kym pick up the case, which gets even murkier when the mysterious Maryanne starts making financial demands of them too.

Kym and Ashley try to uncover the truth about a handsome military man who took over £20,000 from a woman who met him online.

Joe is firmly convinced that his glamorous online girlfriend Jenifer is heading to Scotland from Ghana to set up a new life with him. But endless delays, excuses and demands for money have now cost him thousands. Can Ash and Kym convince him he is being scammed before it's too late?

A psychologically abusive relationship saw Joanna conned into handing over more than £60,000 to a man she met online. Ash and Kym link him to over 1,000 other heartless scams.

Heidi has doubts about a man she met playing an online game, and Kym and Ashley want to uncover the truth.

Linda ventured online hoping to find a cure for her loneliness. Instead she found herself suffering from what she felt was Stockholm syndrome, unable to escape a relationship with a man who took tens of thousands of pounds from her.

Barbara has sold her home and downsized to a caravan to keep the men in her life happy. Initially she was speaking to Frank Wadsworth, whose chaotic life in Ghana saw Barbara send him over £150,000 to help out. Then, out of the blue, she was contacted by Danny, who claimed to be a different man but over time has taken another six-figure sum from Barbara. Kym and Ashley want to draw a line under this horrific chapter in Barbara's life.

Melo Brand wasn't looking for love when she joined an investment forum, but when she made a fortune in cryptocurrency, the mentor she'd met online, Sujon, began asking for financial assistance for himself, and Melo ended up thousands of pounds out of pocket. Now she's seeking the truth about Sujon and whether she's ever likely to see a return on her investment.

Also, June Edwards was approached on social media by a man calling himself Bruce Graham Wallace. Bruce has taken a huge amount of money from June, and private investigator Laura Lyons is worried that June is being taken for a ride by someone claiming he can help her track her money.

Dianne met Larry on social media during lockdown and credits him with saving her life. But her family are suspicious of Larry, as he has taken more than £36,000 from Dianne despite never being able to come to the UK to meet her. Ashley and Kym suspect they are dealing with a scammer and pull out all the stops to get Dianne the truth.

Also, we hear how the National Crime Agency caught and imprisoned a prolific romance fraudster right here in the UK, and we hear from the daughter of one of his victims.

Pat Holt was separated and looking for a companion to go on holiday with. When she met Tim Hall online, he seemed like the perfect gentleman. But when Tim's business trip to India ran into difficulties, he asked Pat for financial support, and now she is £50,000 worse off and wants to know who is really behind the man calling himself Tim.

Ann Larkin made an unlikely friend on an online photography group, but the sum she lost to him is truly eye watering. And Steven made a trip to America to meet his online beau Jennifer, but after six hours at a bus stop, he realised she had not been honest with him.

Norman met Michael via a dating site. After getting to know each other, Michael told Norman he was in line for a big inheritance but needed Norman's financial support to access it. Now Norman wants to find out if Michael is the real deal, and Kym and Ashley are helping him get to the truth.

Meanwhile, DC Mason is tracking a suspected romance fraudster right here in the UK and is about to pounce with an early-morning raid.

Michelle was recently divorced when she met Michael on a dating site. He appeared to be a wealthy and successful businessman, but he said he needed Michelle's financial backing when he found himself in a tight spot overseas. The money Michelle sent him soon began to add up, and now she's worried she won't ever see her £50,000 again. Kym and Ashley want to find out who is really behind the man in the photos.

Also, Eva met Jesse on a dating app, but after sparks failed to fly he suggested they invest in cryptocurrency together instead. Eva now fears she won't see her investment again. And when Christine met a partner on a Christian dating site, she thought the relationship was God's will - but the money she lost suggests it was anything but.

David's wife of 52 years died in his arms, and after grieving for a number of months he met Louisa on social media and formed a bond. The relationship was still in its early stages when Louisa asked for help with payment for her mother's medication. David acted quickly and got in touch with Kym and Ashley, who want to find out more about Louisa to make sure David isn't getting ripped off.

Also, Rachel lost a six-figure sum to a man calling himself Barrio, who claimed to be in the clutches of Russian gangsters. Meanwhile, Simon Cole tells us what it's like to be an innocent party having your identity stolen by romance fraudsters.

Debbie was willing to choose Daniel over her own family as their relationship grew closer, but when he failed to turn up for their first face-to-face meeting at Leeds Bradford Airport, she knew something wasn't right. Now she wants Kym and Ashley to bring her some much-needed closure and find out who exactly he is.

We also hear what life is like for Christian a year after he learned he had been scammed in our previous series, and we look at the latest trend in romance fraud - sextortion - and speak to the team fighting back against this cruel new method of blackmail.

Gill noticed a comment on her social media from a handsome doctor and began to get to know him better. She even sent him some Amazon cards as gifts for his son. Soon plans were made for Gill to move to the USA to live with him, and Gill sent him £3,000 for a visa. Then things went quiet. Since then, Gill has received numerous friend requests from people with the same photos but different names, and she wants to know if she's being targeted.

Also, Maria needed her friends' money to help a man she believed was caught up in a construction accident in South Africa, but now realizes the man she loved wasn't real. And Viv has found love in real life after the horror of being scammed.

Susan met Brook playing an online scrabble game, and despite handing him over £17,000 after a series of remarkable events happened to him, she's still wondering whether he might be the real deal. Kym and Ash are quick to investigate and get to the bottom of this international man of mystery.

Also, Clare tells us how she fell for a man with the looks of a model, before realising it was all a fraud. And we look back on the emerging trends in the world of romance fraud that we have learned about from the cases in this series.