common sense

If Matthew Attenborough Messages You Online And Asks To Stay The Night, Say No

It’s hard to feel too bad for a scam artist’s victim who meets a random stranger online and then agrees to let this stranger live with him for a week — and then get’s robbed. That’s what British police say Matthew Attenborough, 30, has done to a string of gay men he’s targeted online. In a recent case a “43-year-old victim said a man who had been lodging with him for a more than a week had made off with about £600 in cash and credit cards.” The pair met online. So here’s a trip: The Internet can be great for finding sexual partners. It can be great for finding roommates. But do not confuse the two.

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By: JD
On: Mar 11, 2011
Tagged: Britain, Crime, Internet, Matthew Attenborough

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7 Comments

No. 1 · Danny
I just noticed something disturbing. The guy’s picture you are showing for Matthew Attenborough is shown on the Grindr App website under Grindr stories as Steven. The link is

http://www.grindr.com/index.ph.....ser/steven

Mar 11, 2011 at 11:56 pm · @Reply · Flag
No. 2 · Vixlad
@Danny: @Danny: In regards to the grindr part of the story, I find that eery. Do you think that the scam artist might have put that up?

Mar 14, 2011 at 8:45 pm · @Reply · Flag
No. 3 · gary
I am one of his victims that got completely screwed. Yes people maybe shouldnt believe wht he tells you but while he’s spinning his stories you get wrapped up in some alternate reality. so its not as clear cut as people think it is

just think before you start pushing your pen

Apr 2, 2011 at 12:25 pm · @Reply · Flag
No. 4 · Lisa
He’s also known as Steven Murphy, or at least that was his name when I knew him. He used to live with a friend of mine. He had me and my then partner completely fooled for a while. We were scammed by him, luckily, although he did promise my son a summer job working for his fictitious media company, which obviously never materialised. He deleted me from his facebook friends when I started commenting on his pics/posts pointing out his lies!!

Apr 2, 2011 at 12:48 pm · @Reply · Flag
No. 5 · Lisa
Edit to the above – we WEREN’T scammed by him!

Apr 2, 2011 at 12:49 pm · @Reply · Flag
No. 6 · Mark
@gary: Just to let everyone know that Matthew Attenborough was arrested on March 20th In Manchester’s Canal Street, he is currently in remand awaiting trial

May 26, 2011 at 8:31 am · @Reply · Flag
No. 7 · John
I met this guy in Birmingham a few months ago, I wasn’t convinced I have to say. He was on Gaydar as mcoguy26, in fact he still is. When I saw the article on the BBC website, I sent him the link saying I thought you were called Steve? LOL..

Shouldn’t Gaydar delete his profile????

Oh well, he’s been caught now, not much to look at either to be honest…

Jun 9, 2011 at 8:05 pm · @Reply · Flag