WHEN Abbie Draper received a Facebook friend request in late 2014, she didn’t think much of it.
Little did she realise she’d soon be switching from her job as an airline steward to full-on detective after falling victim to Adele Rennie, who has since become known as ‘s most notorious .
Abbie Draper fell victim to Adele Rennie, who is believed to be Scotland’s most notorious catfishCredit: BBC
Rennie was first jailed for 22 months in December 2017 for cyber stalking and again two years later for similar offendingCredit: Not known clear with Picture Desk
Abbie, 35, from , was back home visiting her grandad in hospital after he had a stroke, when her phone pinged notifying her she’d received a message from someone claiming to be ‘Dr David Graham’.
CONVINCING PROFILE
After claiming he was her grandad’s doctor, the mother-of-two took a further look at his profile and was delighted with the hunky man she saw before her.
“He’s a really good looking guy, good haircut, has a good body, looked professional,” she recalled, speaking in new , The Beauty Queen and the Catfish.
As far as Abbie was concerned, the profile looked legit, with David posting pictures of his niece, along with stethoscopes suggesting he was indeed a doctor.
But she was yet to discover that the man who she believed to be ‘Dr David Graham’ was in fact catfisher Adele Rennie, who had been jailed previously for similar crimes.
For Abbie, who often posted videos of her dancing on social media, the first red flag came when the catfish asked her to perform at a ball for medics.
A man named Craig Dunn found Rennie had taken images from his social media to entice womenCredit: Not known clear with picture desk
Abbie channelled her inner James Bond to catch out RennieCredit: BBC
Abbie Draper pictured in KilmarnockCredit: BBC
She happily agreed and went on to post about the event on social media, but shortly after she received a message from a stranger warning her not to trust “Dr David”.
Switching to detective mode, she decided to call the venue, who confirmed there was no record of the event or his name.
Determined to get to the bottom of it, Abbie asked other women if they knew of him and set up a Facebook group called 007 so they could all share their experiences.
“When I started looking deeper into David Graham’s Facebook, I started noticing it was all the same people commenting on his things. Then I started asking myself, ‘Are they real?'” she said.
“We would reverse image search so you can put an image into and find out where it came through. We found these profiles had actually been stolen from .
“There was a web of people – so you’ve got David here, and then you’ve got all these profiles validating that David is a real person. We screenshotted the other profiles as well.
Abbie Draper challenging David Graham/Adele Rennie the catfisherCredit: Social Media – Refer to Source
The documentary spoke to six women who were targeted over a 15-year period, including AbbieCredit: John Kirkby – Commissioned by The Sun
“Time went so fast, and I didn’t . I was sitting on my phone looking for things and my laptop. Before I knew it we were on like five, six in the morning – and then I’d have a quick sleep and then I’ll wake back up again. I was consumed by it all.”
It was only when one woman recalled how she had spoken to him while he was on holiday and noted how she remembers him giving the phone to a friend called Adele, that the catfish’s true identity was uncovered.
“I didn’t know who Adele was but she’s a girl from Kilmarnock and she’s the same age as all of us,” Abbie explained.
As she searched for Adele’s picture on Facebook, a “sickening” feeling came over her – she recognised she was a nurse from her grandad’s hospital ward.
“I remember looking at it and being in such disbelief because she actually did work in the hospital and I had seen her side-by-side with my grandad,” she recalled.
“It was quite sickening.”
It turned out the picture of David Graham was in fact that of male model Craig Dunn, who was stunned to discover his photo was being used in a catfish sting .
The shocked salesman previously told in an exclusive interview: “I got a call from police saying there’s an ongoing case I’m involved in. The officer mentioned Adele Rennie but I’d never heard of her.
“He said she’d been chatting to women on dating sites like Tinder and using my pictures on Facebook, Instagram and social media.
“From what I could gather, she was trying to get naked photos and using my image to try to get up close and personal with these women.
Abbie created a Facebook group called 007Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
“It must have been a horrible experience for them — no sane person would do what she did.”
After informing the hospital of her discovery, Abbie went to the who told her that catfishing someone online via a fictional persona was not criminal unless other factors were involved, such as fraud, threat or intimidation.
Infuriated by what she’d just found out, Abbie took to Facebook to warn others of her discovery and that David Graham was a catfish and that he was actually a woman called Adele Rennie.
“There were floods of people who had all been through similar stuff or even worse,” Abbie recalled.
“I said: ‘Wow, this is bigger than I thought.'”
5 red flags that you’re dating a catfish
New data has revealed that 40 per cent of us know someone who has been catfished, while 22 per cent have fallen for catfish themselves.
April Davis, founder and president of LUMA Luxury Matchmaking , has shared five key ways you can catch a catfish.
1. You can’t find them online
Almost everyone has a social media presence – especially those who are willing to try dating apps. So if you can’t find them anywhere online, like a Facebook, Instagram or even LinkedIn account, this could be a major red flag.
April says: “If you’re suspicious, ask to add them on Facebook or Instagram. If they refuse or the account they send you looks new, that’s a red flag.”
2. Conversations got personal, quickly
Catfish are well known for ‘love-bombing,’ which is a form of emotional manipulation.
So, if the person you’re talking to immediately goes over the top with compliments, wants to communicate all the time, and makes statements like ‘I love you’ within a few days of speaking, it’s a big red flag.
3. They don’t open up
If someone is asking a lot of questions about you but is not willing to offer up much in return, this could be a catfish red flag.
This is because these scammers are, of course, not who they say they are and it can be hard for them to keep their lies straight.
As a result, most catfishes would rather not give out any personal info at all if they can help it.
4. They ask for money
Asking for money, no matter the reason, is a huge red flag.
Whether they want a bank transfer or your credit card number, catfishes have a wide range of sob stories to tell when it’s time to try to swindle you out of your cash.
5. They won’t show their face
Unsurprisingly, someone who doesn’t want to show who they are in a video call or real-time pictures could be a catfish.
The last thing a catfish wants is for you to see their real face because they usually steal pictures from someone else to use.
This means they are likely to refuse to send photos or do video calls.
The documentary spoke to six women who were targeted over a 15-year period – including Samantha, Lilly, Chloe, Kirsty and ‘Charlotte,’ who did not want to be identified.
They too had been deceived into believing he was the dishy doctor he pretended to be.
A RUNDOWN OF RENNIE’S CRIMES…
Rennie is thought to be Scotland’s most prolific catfish.
As many as 100 women are believed to have been affected by Rennie’s actions. Some were lured into sending intimate pictures, which were used to threaten them if they cut off contact.
Before 2017 – catfishing begins
She used a number of aliases including Dr David Graham, David Crolla, Davie, Marco and Matthew Mancini.
Rennie was given 28 months behind bars in 2024 and could be released later this yearCredit: Kenny Ramsay – The Sun Glasgow
2017 – first conviction
She was convicted of stalking, harassment, sexual offences and related misconduct. Her activities included using invented male profiles to pursue relationships and send unsolicited explicit communications to multiple women.
She was given 22 months in prison, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register and made subject to a non-harassment order.
2019 – second sentence
Rennie reoffended after her release from her first sentence. She again used fake online identities (including posing as a male lawyer) to contact women and obtain explicit material.
She was sentenced to three years in prison.
2023-2024 – third major conviction
In August 2023, she matched with a woman on Tinder using a fake male pharmacist profile, before beginning an elaborate stalking campaign.
In November 2023, the police searched her home and found evidence linking her to the fake identity.
In July 2024, she pleaded guilty to multiple charges before being sentenced to 28 months in prison in September 2024.
Rennie was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for five years and given a non-harassment order banning contact with the victim for five years.
January 2025 – released and reoffended
Rennie was released on 13th of January 2025, but was subject to monitoring and notification requirements as a registered sex offender.
10 days after being released, she breached the courts non-harassment order by sending messages to a woman she had previously been banned from contacting. She was sentenced to 100 days in prison.
All three episodes of The Beauty Queen and the Catfish are available to watch on BBC iPlayer
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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