Hinge date scams woman, family out of thousands in SoCal, police say

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Daina Randle (Credit: San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department)

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - A Riverside man is accused of scamming a woman he met on Hinge and her family after thousands of dollars, and now police say they're searching for more potential victims.

Police said Daina Randle elicited donations to a phony fundraiser on his Instagram account, blocking donors after he received the money.

It started in late 2023, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Randle, using the fake name Jaed King and a fake phone number, met a woman on Hinge in November. The two went on several dates, and continued to text and message on Instagram.

Then, police said Randle posted on his Instagram account about a recent donation he'd made to a non-profit for domestic violence victims. After that, Randle said he was organizing another fundraiser for the same nonprofit. The phony fundraiser allegedly involved selling discounted electronics with the profits going to the organization. Officials said Randle convinced the woman he'd met on Hinge and her family to both donate to the fundraiser and to share it on their own social media. Officials said Randle used the handle "DONDADATHEKING" on Instagram.

All told, the woman, her family and friends paid Randle more than $1,000, and convinced even more people to contribute to the fundraiser. Randle told them the electronics would be delivered before Christmas of that year. That never happened, and police said once Randle got the money, he blocked the woman's number, along with anyone else who contributed to the fake fundraiser.

Police released photos of Randle this week, in an effort to alert anyone else who may have been scammed.

Randle is currently in custody in Los Angeles County for another case, San Bernardino County officials said, and will be transferred to the SBSD after he's released.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the SBSD.