A word to the wise: If you're meeting an online connection in person for the first time, always make sure your guard is up.
Diane Guilmette was intrigued when a handsome man messaged her on Plenty of Fish, a dating site for single people looking for love. After a promising back-and-forth conversation, the pair set up a romantic date at Morton's Steakhouse in downtown Los Angeles.
"A little pricey for me, but I agreed," Diane told CBS.
At the restaurant, Diane noticed her date began ordering a barrage of food, including several appetizers and side dishes, a steak, and a glass of wine. As their meal came to an end, he said he needed to make a phone call — and never came back.
She was left with the $163 bill!
Confused and furious, Diane tried to message him on the Plenty of Fish dating app, but the dine-and-dasher had already blocked her from contacting him. So she went public with her story and revealed the scammer's identity in an effort to warn other women.
That's when another woman came forward with a very similar tale of her own.
The unnamed woman met the same man online. The two had also met for a romantic dinner.
At first, he was extremely complimentary and talkative. They were hitting it off. But again, the woman said she noticed a bizarre red flag when he began ordering over $100 for himself and explained he was a bodybuilder. When she didn't respond to his more blatant romantic advances, he "went to the bathroom" but left her to pay the check!
And get this: The same guy was recently arrested for attempting to pull off a "dine-and-dash" scam at a hair salon, though it's unknown if he's still in jail. The second victim of the dine-and-dash scammer is planning to file charges against him.
"Now is my retribution time," she said.
