A woman who fell for who she thought was Teddy Swims has revealed how the whirlwind romance turned out to be a costly scam.
When Helen Coutts became mesmerised by a song on the radio, she didn’t expect for it to leave her £1,000 out-of-pocket.
The 55-year-old searched up the tune Lose Control by Teddy Swims and instantly fell in love with not just his music – but his looks, too.
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With her new passion in tow, she set up a YouTube account to post covers of her favourite songs by the singer.
And, within a few days, a comment popped up; from Mr Swims himself.
Or so she thought.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Helen, from West Bromwich, told Need To Know.
“He wrote: ‘This is the best cover of my song I’ve heard.’
“I thought to myself I must’ve done his song justice.
“And that it was so kind of him to personally reach out to his fans and make them feel special.
“I was overwhelmed – and then a message popped up on my Facebook.”
Helen says the message from Teddy – or who she thought was him – read that she should pursue a career in music.
It was enough to make her fall head-over-heels for him.
And, after that, the pair spoke every single day.
She said: “At first, the conversation was friendly.
“But, quickly, it turned flirty.
“He told me I was gorgeous and asked for a saucy snap.
“I was hesitant at first, but eventually, I sent one.
“I kept our interactions on the down low and only briefly mentioned it to some family since I wanted to respect his privacy.
“He then asked to meet up with me as he really felt something between us.
“It was so exciting.
“Then the discussions turned to marriage – which I thought was a bit quick – but I wanted to see how things went.
“He made me feel so special, so I was intrigued.”
The messages that followed between them rapidly turned from flirty to desperate.
She said: “He told me he worked with a children’s charity and asked if I wanted to make a donation.
“I wasn’t sure at first, but then he said if I helped, he’d get me tickets to his next concert in the UK – and bring me on stage.
“It was a no-brainer, so I asked him how I’d go about donating.
“But there was a catch; it had to be done so via prepaid gift card.
“According to him, it was to ensure the donation was secure.”
Helen thought the request seemed legitimate enough and so sent him £10.
To destroy the paper trail, she was asked to take a photo of the number at the back and get rid of the gift card, as well as any receipts.
While she had her suspicions, she believed everything he said.
Soon, the demands became higher and Helen was handing over £100-a-pop.
Before she knew it, over £1,000 had been taken from her account.
She said: “It was money I didn’t have.
“I confessed to him that I was worried about the debt and that I couldn’t send any further funds.
“He promised me I’d get it all back.
“But I felt at a complete loss; so I confided in a friend.
“After showing her the messages, it was clear I had been scammed.
“Of course the real Teddy Swims wouldn’t need me to donate – he’s got loads of money.”
Teddy Swims, whose real name is Jaten Collin Dimsdale, is currently in a relationship with singer-songwriter Raiche Wright.
In June 2025, they welcomed their first baby together.
And, despite this knowledge being public, Helen claims she wasn’t aware – until her friend showed a snap of them together.
Helen said: “My heart dropped.
“I was totally heartbroken.
“I felt as though my eyes had been opened – it was too good to be true.
“Suddenly, I remembered the personal photos I sent over and felt so ashamed.
“I blocked the account and cut off all contact.
“Then I got in touch with a fraud hotline.
“Sadly, as I willingly sent the money, there was nothing that could be done.”
Due to the stressful realisation, Helen wasn’t able to listen to any of Teddy Swims’ songs for a long time.
Then, he announced his UK tour and she knew this ordeal couldn’t hold her back from something she loved so much.
She forked out on a ticket to see him in Birmingham.
Helen added: “It was the best night of my life.
“I’m so glad I didn’t let what happened hold back my enjoyment of his music.
“I’m sharing my story to raise awareness about online romance scammers.
“If someone else claiming to be a celebrity slides into my inbox, I won’t lose control.
“Instead, I’ll let them swim on by.”
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