Kerry Gray, 37, from Harlow, targeted three men with fake profiles, stolen images, and fabricated social media accounts between 2022 and 2025, building trust before convincing them to send her nearly £12,000.
She told victims she was suffering from cancer and invented family illnesses and bereavements to gain sympathy.
She also created fake emails from a police officer claiming she had been physically abused.
One victim said: “I was targeted by someone who pretended to be someone they were not on a dating app.
“At a time when I was vulnerable and seeking connection, this person gained my trust, and I let my guard down.
“Over time, they manipulated me into believing I was helping them, promising to pay me back every time they borrowed money.
“This has had an impact on forming new relationships and meeting new people, especially through dating apps.”
Gray, of Milwards in Harlow, was arrested and charged in March with three counts of fraud by false representation.
She admitted the offences and was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence at Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday, August 6.
The fraud victim praised the investigating officer for her support throughout the case.
She said: “The officer in my case was absolutely lovely.
“She was really attentive and supportive the whole way through this process.
“Something substantial needs to happen to people like this, sentences need to be tough, to act as a deterrent for anyone else thinking they can get away with this kind of fraud.”
Detective Constable Georgette Hixon, who led the investigation, said: “Each of the victims suffered profoundly because of the selfish actions of Kerry Gray.
“This case should send a strong message that romance fraud – a growing issue nationally – will be treated extremely seriously by Essex Police.
“Perpetrators who engage in this extremely harmful offence will be tracked down, arrested and put before the courts.”
Romance fraud is among the top five scams in Essex, with total losses reaching £2,363,430 in 2024 and an average loss per offence of more than £13,000.
