'Love Fraud': Who's Richard Scott Smith? Meet middle-aged charmer who preys on single moms and swindles them
Showtime's docuseries, 'Love Fraud', is about to premiere in an hour from now. At the center of this series are multiple women, all of them united by a single man named Richard Scott Smith. Is he a priest? A therapist? A gay best friend? The answer is no. So what is it that is unifying these women? It is their hate stemming out from the fact that they were all honey-trapped by him.
Richard Scott Smith had a certain type. He particularly scoured the Internet for single mothers with daughters. He absolutely had no trouble slipping into a new identity every time he met a new woman. From portraying to be a practicing Christian man to playing an atheist with conviction, he did it all. He also had a list of names and backstories that he would use to make his story more believable. The story? That he was about to receive millions of dollars from a medical malpractice lawsuit. Months of dating, then moving in together, getting engaged to be married, making purchases and then fleeing away without leaving any trace behind was his modus operandi. He's a serial con-man and a bigamist and well-meaning women who've fallen prey to him in the past came together and created a blog called ScottTheCrook.
The blog has now become a sounding board for many many women who have been a target of the smooth-talking sociopath at some point in their life. "This page was created as a collaborative effort to warn women about a man named Richard "Scott" Smith. Scott Smith, 42, is an old White male who preys upon single mothers with daughters. His intent is to use to obtain credit under your name by opening charge accounts, buying vehicles and purchasing expensive homes. He will then leave you holding the debt once the relationship is over," reads a segment of the 'About' section of this blog.
Forgery and fraud were not the only crimes that Richard was capable of. A Kansas woman, who was also engaged to Scott, almost thought that she'd died after been assaulted by him while they were on a business trip to Des Moines. "She was thrown to the ground, kicked and struck in the head with an electronic device," stated the Des Moines police report. 'Love Fraud' sees multiple women banding together on a hunt for this man who's caused them all their woes. Supporting them in their pursuit is Carla, a no-nonsense bounty hunter who rallies behind these women and helps find them. This story will unfold in four parts. After tonight's premiere, a new episode will air every Sunday at 9 pm ET/PT over the next weeks only on Showtime.
