Conman poses as female model to lure men

A conman posed as a gorgeous female model on the internet to trick male admirers into sending him gifts and money. Texan Police said Justin Brown, 24, masqueraded as Californian Guess Jeans and Maxim swimwear model Bree Condon, 23, for two years.

In one of a string of fake online profiles on SeekingMillionaire.com, "the meeting place for wealthy and beautiful singles", Brown identified himself as "Bree - just looking for Mr. Right", with accompanying photos of the brunette cover girl. He enticed rich suitors by sending them pictures of Bree's face photo-shopped onto nude photos of other women.

He also set up web chats and even had intimate telephone conversations with his contingent of male fans, using his "very feminine voice" to dupe them. The admirers were charmed into sending gifts to "Bree", including an iPhone and a small dog. One affluent doctor even handed over US$15,000 ($16,438).



The scam was only uncovered after authorities, prompted by an investigator hired by the real Condon, tracked Brown down to a budget motel room in Austin, Texas. John Carbona, a private investigator involved in the case, said he was stunned to find out that "Bree" was a man.

"I'd been talking to this person for three months," Carbona said. "I'm telling you this guy has either had his gonads removed or he is talking through a voice synthesizer."

Representatives for Condon, who has never met Brown, said she "pursued this with law enforcement because she was very concerned about other people being conned by this impersonator, especially since he was apparently taking money from people and engaging in behavior that Bree would never participate in." A grand jury indicted Brown on a felony theft charge last week and Austin police are currently investigating whether he created a fake "official" website for Condon, as well as Facebook and MySpace profiles in her name.