| No images? Click here UNFORGETTABLE SAGAS, SCOOPS AND SCANDALS
from Toronto Life’slong-form archives Dear Reader, We all know that online dating comes with risks: wasting endless hours swiping, suffering through awkward meet-ups, getting ghosted. But singles searching for love via apps aren’t only putting their hearts on the line. Romance scams are on the rise, with Canadians defrauded a whopping $64.6 million in 2021. And these online Don Juans don’t always carry out their cons from a safe distance—they’re meeting their victims in person, working their ways into hearts, homes and beds. This week, with Valentine’s Day around the corner, we revisit our most popular stories exploring the twisted world of romance scammers. —Madi Haslam, digital editor To women in search of love, Shaun Rootenberg seemed like a catch. Little did they know, he’d spent decades stealing from just about anyone who crossed his path BY KATHERINE LAIDLAW | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 For years, Shaun Rootenberg feigned a life of luxury, racking up debt as he bought fancy cars, took expensive vacations and lied to investors about closing multimillion-dollar business deals. After his Ponzi schemes fell through, Rootenberg found a new calling in online dating—swindling multiple partners out of their life savings. This shocking story, masterfully told by Katherine Laidlaw, chronicles the making and unravelling of a career con artist. READ THE FULL STORY How Albert Allan Rosenberg scammed his way into high society BY COURTNEY SHEA | JANUARY 22, 2015 To his wife, girlfriends and business partners, Albert Allan Rosenberg was a billionaire, a Swiss baron, a merchant banker with holdings around the world, the most charming guy in the room. His fraudulent ventures in international real estate, art trading and financial advising were punctuated by regular stints in jail. Then he’d get out, infiltrate a new wealthy social circle, steal money and eventually get busted again. In 2015, Courtney Shea shared the incredible story of how Rosenberg—known to the cops as “Baron von Bullshit”—fooled and defrauded everyone in his orbit. READ THE FULL STORY He was charming, successful and looking for love. What could go wrong? BY JANE GERSTER | MARCH 21, 2022 Jason Porter was a striking man in his 40s with salt-and-pepper hair and an adorable smile split by a tiny gap between his front teeth. He also had several dating profiles under fake names, a penchant for stealing from his girlfriends and a lengthy criminal record. This feature by Jane Gerster—one of our most-read stories last year—traced the inner workings of Porter’s cons, laying bare the experiences of the trusting women he targeted. READ THE FULL STORY Our current issue FEBRUARY 2023: SECOND CITY, THE EARLY YEARS Fifty years ago, the launch of Second City Toronto catalyzed a big bang of Canadian comic talent. Its star-studded cast redefined funny, won back-to-back Emmys for their spin-off television series SCTV, and cemented Toronto’s status as a comedy capital. Our February issue features exclusive interviews with early cast members—Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Rick Moranis, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas and Robin Duke—about the group’s lasting influence. If you’re still not receiving Toronto Life at home, what are you waiting for? Subscribe today. Follow us for the latest from Toronto Life |
