Lonely Hearts Rackets

Along with:

• The Badger Game

• The Heart Balm Racket

• Allotment Annies (marriage racket targeting servicemen)

• The Alimony Racket

and other scams practiced by predatory women against men there is a long history of Lonely Hearts Rackets.

By the way, for the “gender”-minded reader: Yes, men ran lonely hearts rackets, too.

***

1908 – Belle Gunness – Swindle & Murder; Serial Killer

1924 – Marie Krueger – Hammer Germany – Serial Killer, Swindle

1933 – Pearl Godman – Swindle

1933 – Betty Jean Crouse – Swindle

1938 – The 3 Reid Sisters – Petty swindle

1941 – Clara Farnum – Swindle; 49 victims

1944 – Margot Wagner – Swindle

1946 – Evelyn “Kathy” Stanton – Swindle

1949 – Inez Brennan – Swindle & Murder; Serial Killer

1949 – Martha Beck – Swindle & Murder; Serial Killer

1954 – Nannie Doss – Serial Killer

1982 – Dolores Miller – Columbia, Missouri – Swindler, Murderess

1984 – Ada Wittenmyer – Swindle & Murder; Serial Killer

1996 – Della Sutorius – Ohio – Swindle & murder

2007 – Lydia L. – Germany – Serial Killer

2009 – Kanae Kijima – Japan – Swindle & Murder; Serial Killer

2011 – “The Black widow Gang” – Colombia – Yulima Emilsen Rojas Castaño & Suleyma Giraldo de Zapata, Swindlers, Serial Killers

2011 – Loraine Upritchard – England – Swindler

2012 – Melissa Friedrich – USA & Canada –Swindler, Serial Killer

***