FL Woman Finds Love With Man Whose Photo Was Used In Catfishing Scheme: Report

SOUTH FLORIDA — After they were both victims of the same global catfishing scheme, a South Florida man and woman connected and found love.

When Nicole Hayden, a Palm Beach County resident, received a direct message on Instagram from a man claiming to be a marine engineer named Marcus, she was initially intrigued. The messages between the single mother and her online suitor got intense pretty quickly, which alarmed her, she told News 6.

“All of a sudden, it was starting to become really heavy,” she said. “‘I love you; I want to marry you.’ I immediately knew something was wrong.”

Almost as quickly as they had started chatting, she blocked Marcus after he asked to come to Florida for Thanksgiving to meet her family. He also asked her for $6,000 for his mother, who he claimed was in the hospital, according to NBC Miami.

At that point, the “red flags” were too many to ignore, Hayden said.

Before blocking them, though, they got “belligerent,” finding her on WhatsApp, she added. The scammer threatened the safety of her children and said they would photoshop nude photos of her if she didn’t pay up.

Later, though, she saw a familiar face in her “suggested friends” on Facebook. It was Marcus, but this time he had a different name, Alessandro Cinquini, an Italian, veteran officer with Carnival Cruise Line who is based in Miami.

She sent him a friend request and they got to talking. They’ve been dating since January, according to reports.

Cinquini has received Facebook messages from women around the world who say they were contacted by scammers using his image. Some even lost money to the catfish.

The new couple is hoping to use their story to warn others to be careful when online dating.

“Don't trust someone that is asking for money, no matter how much you trust them,” he said. “You will be sorry.”