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High-profile alleged romance scammer remains in jail

Mar 21, 2018 | 1:28 PM

NANAIMO — A man arrested and charged in a series of alleged scams targeting women remains behind bars as his case makes its way through the courts.

The arraingement hearing for Jordan Shepherd, 34, who’s charged with several fraud related counts in Nanaimo, Ladysmith and New Westminister, was adjourned on Tuesday until April 24.

He’s slated to enter a plea at that time.

Shepherd was denied bail following his March 1 arrest outside a Nanaimo motel and remains  in custody at the Vancouver Island Correctional Centre in Victoria.

He was arrested one day after a high-profile Canada-wide warrant for allegedly luring women into relationships and then scamming them out of money.

Mounties alleged Shepherd targeted women in their 20s and early 30s, often through online dating sites like Plenty of Fish.

Police said Shepherd would claim to be unable to access his bank account and ask women to deposit cheques for him into the account for On the Rocks Surveying. Shepherd would typically receive between $1,000 and $1,600, according to police, and then vanish after the money was withdrawn.

He’s charged with seven counts of fraud under $5,000.

Five are in relation to alleged incidents in Nanaimo last May and August, while the others are linked to alleged offences in Ladysmith and New Westminster last September. 

Some alleged victims took to social media to warn others.

A September 2017 Facebook post by Denise Allick, which was shared more than 9,000 times, claimed Shepherd “Completely drained my account and put three fraudulent checks through my account while I was at work totalling $3,275, frauded (sic) me over $5,000.”

Since Shepherd’s arrest, NanaimoNewsNOW received messages from two of his alleged victims, outlining how they were duped by the Dover Bay Secondary graduate.

 

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