Key Points
- Rodney Ade Roberts, who also goes by Paul Smith was sentenced to 61 months in prison which equals five years and one month at Newport Crown Court.
- The forty‑year‑old man from Cardiff admitted to three counts of fraud by representation just before his trial was scheduled to start.
- He took a total of £49,580 from three women between 2021 and 2024 after reaching out to them on dating sites and social‑media platforms.
- Roberts used the name Paul Smith. Pretended to be an American lawyer, a financial consultant, an intelligence agent and a BBC television producer.
- One victim lost than £40,000 after being convinced to invest money that was tied to the sale of her house.
- Another victim, a freelance artist lost £8,660 while in a relationship in 2024.
- Rachel Serjeant, thirty from Bristol was scammed out of £980 after she met Roberts on a dating app in October 2022.
- The court heard that Roberts spent the victims’ money on designer clothes and drugs and threatened one woman when she thought about calling the police.
- Judge Celia Hughes called the offence a ” abuse of trust” and said Roberts was “selfish and narcissistic.”
- Roberts must pay his victims back within two years cannot contact the three women and will face a crime prevention order after he is released.
- Detective Constable Amanda Davies, from the Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit urged anyone to report suspected romance fraud to Action Fraud.
Cardiff (Wales Times) November 4, 2026 — A uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff romance fraudster who posed as a BBC worker, an MI6 agent and an American lawyer has been jailed for more than five years after conning three women out of nearly £50,000. Rodney Ade Roberts, 40, of Trowbridge, Cardiff, received a 61-month prison sentence at Newport Crown Court after admitting three counts of fraud by false representation.
As reported by Colette Hume of BBC Wales, Roberts, who also used the name Paul Smith, defrauded the women of nearly £50,000 through relationships formed on dating apps and social-media platforms. The Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit and South Wales Police established that the total loss was £49,580 between 2021 and 2024.
How Did The Fraud Operate?
Roberts first contacted a victim in February 2021, presenting himself as an American from California who worked in the United Kingdom as an attorney and financier. According to the Pembrokeshire Herald’s court report, he later told the woman that this identity was a cover story and claimed he worked for the intelligence services.
He said that his supposed intelligence work prevented him from having direct control of his finances and asked the woman for financial assistance. The court heard that he persuaded her to invest in a fictitious investment company, helped her sell her home so that she could invest more money, and encouraged her to open a bank account for him to use.
The Pembrokeshire Herald reported that Roberts also opened a cryptocurrency account in the victim’s name without her knowledge. BBC Wales reported that the woman, who was selling her home at the time, was persuaded to send large sums from the sale into what Roberts described as an investment opportunity.
After a two-year relationship, the woman ended it on July 4, 2023, and asked for her money to be returned. Roberts told her it would be repaid within days, but it was not.
What Did The Second Victim Lose?
Roberts contacted his second victim, Rachel Serjeant, in October 2022 through a dating app. He introduced himself as Paul Smith from California and claimed to work in the media as an attorney.
As reported by BBC Wales, Serjeant was asked for £150 on Christmas Eve 2022 for a car tyre, with Roberts saying that he would not visit her on Boxing Day if she did not help. By January 2023, he had taken £980 and had not repaid it as promised.
Serjeant said that when she sought a break from the relationship, Roberts became angry. He later told her that he had to return to the United States because his father had died; she subsequently discovered his previous convictions for romance scams online.
In her victim personal statement, Serjeant said: “The betrayal of trust is far deeper than the loss of the money. Everything I believed to be real was not. He didn’t even tell me his real name.”
How Was The BBC Identity Used?
Roberts contacted his third victim in March 2024 through a dating app. He claimed to be an American television producer working for the BBC on a two-year visa.
The woman, a freelance artist, was defrauded of £8,660 during their five-month relationship. Roberts told her that he was having difficulties accessing his American bank account and asked her to lend him £4,000 for a deposit on a flat.
As reported by BBC Wales, Roberts showed the woman a fake BBC lanyard and identification card. On one occasion, she walked with him to BBC Cymru Wales’ headquarters in Cardiff’s Central Square, where he claimed to work in television production.
The court heard that he made further requests for money, promised repayment and later falsely said that his father had died. He asked for £250 to buy a painting in memory of his father.
The woman became increasingly suspicious after Roberts asked for more money and promised to help her find work as an artist in Jamaica and the United States. She searched online, found earlier news reports about his previous fraud convictions under the alias Paul Smith, and contacted South Wales Police.
Addressing Newport Crown Court, she said: “He violated my finances, my body and my sense of self.”
What Did The Judge Say?
Judge Celia Hughes said Roberts was guilty of a massive abuse of trust. She described him as “selfish and narcissistic”, with no consideration for the feelings of the three women involved.
The judge commended the women for their bravery and told them that they were not to blame themselves for Roberts’s actions.
Roberts received a slightly reduced sentence because he admitted the offences days before his trial was due to begin. He was jailed for a total of 61 months, equivalent to five years and one month.
The court also imposed restrictions designed to prevent further contact with the victims. Roberts is not allowed to contact the three women and will be subject to a serious crime prevention order upon release. He has been ordered to repay his victims within two years.
What Was Roberts’s Criminal History?
The court was told that Roberts had a long history of fraud dating back to 2015. He had six previous convictions covering seven offences, including romance fraud.
BBC Wales reported that Roberts used the money obtained from his victims to fund a lavish lifestyle involving designer clothes and drugs. The report also stated that he threatened one of the women if she went to the police.
The Pembrokeshire Herald reported that officers from Tarian ROCU’s Proactive Economic Crime Team worked with South Wales Police to establish the scale of the offending. Their investigation found that Roberts had targeted the women through online dating and social-media platforms while using the false name Paul Smith.
What Did Police Say?
Detective Constable Amanda Davies, of the Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit, welcomed the sentence and praised the courage of the women who supported the prosecution.
“Fraudsters, and romance fraudsters in particular, excel at spinning a narrative that can sound plausible to victims,” Davies said, as reported by BBC Wales.
“If you feel that something could be too good to be true, I encourage you to trust your instincts. Reach out to friends or family. If you believe you may have been a victim of romance fraud, report it to Report Fraud.”
In the Pembrokeshire Herald’s report, Davies said romance fraud was a growing and highly damaging crime. She said offenders deliberately exploited trust and vulnerability, leaving victims with financial losses as well as psychological distress and embarrassment that could prevent them from reporting offences.
Davies identified common warning signs, including requests for money, reluctance to meet in person or by video call, pressure to keep a relationship secret, and “love bombing”, where a new partner gives excessive attention, affection or grand gestures early in a relationship.
She urged anyone who believed they may have been a victim of romance fraud to report it to Action Fraud.
Background Of The Development
Romance fraud involves an offender building a false emotional relationship with a victim, often online, before persuading them to transfer money or provide financial information. In this case, investigators said Roberts used fabricated professional identities, false investment opportunities and fake account screenshots to make his requests appear credible.
The case was investigated by Tarian ROCU, the regional organised crime unit covering South Wales, with support from South Wales Police. Roberts’s guilty pleas to three counts of fraud by false representation removed the need for a trial and resulted in a reduced total sentence of 61 months.
The reporting by BBC Wales and the Pembrokeshire Herald also highlighted the wider harm caused by romance fraud: victims described damage to their finances, trust, sense of safety and emotional wellbeing, as well as embarrassment that can make reporting more difficult.
Prediction: What It Means For Online Daters
For people using dating apps and social media, the case is likely to reinforce the importance of verifying a new contact’s identity before sending money or sharing financial details. Police guidance in this case points to requests for cash, reluctance to meet or appear on video, secrecy, and unusually intense early affection as potential warning signs.
For victims and their families, the sentence may encourage more people to report suspected romance fraud, particularly because the court recognised the victims’ bravery and ordered repayment within two years. The case also signals that investigators may pursue offenders who use fake professional identities, fabricated investment schemes and false documents to obtain money.
For dating platforms, financial institutions and public-awareness campaigns, the development may increase pressure to make fraud warnings, identity-verification tools and rapid reporting routes more visible. Detective Constable Davies said Tarian ROCU would continue to pursue fraudsters and bring them before the courts.
