Singleton claims 'Hinge version of Tinder swindler' talked her into booking holiday then 'ghosted' her

A singleton claims she met 'Hinge's version' of the Tinder swindler who talked her into paying for a holiday to Spain as their first date - before 'ghosting' her. Claudia Harris says she had avoided dating apps but was persuaded to join by a friend and military lad James (not his real name) was the 'first person she came across' and matched with in May last year.

After experiencing instant fireworks and chatting all day and night, the 29-year-old admits she impulsively agreed to book a three-day trip to Malaga, Spain, together for their first-ever date. Since she had arrived the night before her date landed, Claudia covered the up-front £800 hotel costs, which her budding romance agreed to pay her back for.

Photos show the pair enjoying dinner dates, trips to the beach and even getting tattoos together despite having only just met. But the fashion PR says she eventually realised she had been scammed after the weekend away when her date 'ghosted' her messages asking for £400 to cover the accommodation costs.

Claudia was left 'really upset' as she 'could not afford' to lose the money and was even forced to warn James that she'd report him to his barracks if he didn't send her the cash – but never did. The hit Netflix documentary 'The Tinder Swindler' showcases a man taking women he meets on dating apps on impulsive trips before craftily scamming them out of their money.

Claudia claimed on social media that she experienced 'Tinder Swindler in real life, but make it Hinge' after she was similarly deceived. A series of screenshotted messages reveal the last message Claudia ever received from James last June, stating how he was unsure how the pair could 'make it work' but that he would send the £400 'first thing in the morning'.

Further screenshots show Claudia's desperate attempts to get her money back and she admits she was involved in a car accident and wanted the payment issue to be 'resolved asap'. The singleton revealed she had always been 'so against' dating apps, but after matching with the army man and speaking on Facetime until the early hours, the pair decided they 'needed' to meet in person.

But her awful experience has caused her to swear off the apps and said that they were now 'absolutely not' for her. Claudia, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, said: "It's the real-life tinder swindler, but make it hinge. I am a Netflix documentary in the making.

"My friend urged me to download Hinge and I was so against it. She told me it would be fun and a good distraction. He was the first person I came across. He matched with me almost instantly. We were talking and it was going really well.

"For 12 hours we were texting each other and we didn't get off the phone until 3am. At the end of the conversation, he said he really needed to meet me and I said likewise. He had some time off at the end of the month for the bank holiday. He was thinking of going to Spain. He asked if I wanted to come.

"This was the sign I had been wanting from the universe to do something different, out of my comfort zone and put myself out there. I didn't even second-guess it. We both agreed on Malaga. We wanted somewhere by the sea. In the build-up we were Facetiming every day."

Claudia got her flight out the day before James, who flew out the following morning - however, things started going wrong quickly and their fun chat over the phone was not replicated in person. Claudia said: "When I got to the hotel I paid on arrival. The agreement always was that we would split it when we were out there.

"There was an issue with his bank account, so we couldn't do a straightforward bank transfer. He arrived the following morning and it was just not the same. He was the same person, but the vibe was not there. It was a struggle. Conversation was very minimal.

"I thought 'I'm in Spain for three-and-a-half days. What the hell am I going to do?'. We just made the most out of it. We got tattoos, cocktails and walked around the city. We made the best out of a shi**y situation. He paid his way on holiday for meals and stuff. I really noticed the red flags when we were going to the airport. We barely spoke that entire day. It was very bizarre."

The 29-year-old revealed that despite the pair's 'agreement' to split the hotel costs, her date cruelly 'ghosted' her after the trip and she never received the money. Claudia said: "That night I messaged him about the money. Two days later he replied and said he was so sorry, but he had been back-to-back with training.

"I sent him my details. Ghosted. I thought he must be busy, so I tried again two days later. Ghosted. I thought this was really weird and tried one final time. Nothing. That's when I got really, really, upset. I got into a car accident, which led me to the decision to leave my job.

"I had no income for a long time, so that was money I could not afford to lose. My brother had to give me a bit of money. It was such a low moment. I'm never going to see that money again."

Claudia explained she reported her date's profile to Hinge to prevent him from doing the same to other women and admitted she is 'now done' with dating apps and their lack of safeguarding. Claudia said: "My friend told me to go back on Hinge. I re-downloaded the app and his profile was the first person I came across [again]. I reported it to Hinge and they literally did nothing.

"That really concerned me from a safeguarding perspective. I thought this could be happening to anyone. You actually don't know who you're talking to. Now looking back I think 'how dangerous' of me. It could've been a lot worse. I'm quite impulsive by nature. Now if that opportunity presented itself again I would take a few steps back.

"It takes a few months to get to know someone, not a few minutes. The dating app culture makes you rush the process. It shouldn't be a rushed process at all. It's forcing you to go against everything we stand for as women and being safe. There's no safeguarding in place for women.

"I am done with the dating app culture. You have to be lucky to find a genuine connection. I don't think it's going to happen for me on a dating app. Absolutely not."

Hinge confirmed that the user in question was banned after Claudia's complaint. A spokesperson for the app said that any user who encounters potential harm, including fraud, is encouraged to report it through the in-app reporting resources so that it can investigate and take necessary action.

In 2022, Selfie Verification was launched as an additional step to help users confirm that people are who they appear to be in their profile, empowering them to make more informed decisions about who they interact with. Once a selfie is confirmed, a 'Verified' badge is added to the user’s profile.