Suspect uses dating site to pick victim, burglarize her home

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Thieves are hitting a popular dating website and app, acting as potential suitors before robbing and stealing from their victims.

"At first he seemed nice," said Amanda Wildes. "I thought he was going to be my friend."

Wildes recently joined MeetMe.com looking for companionship. Similar to apps like Tinder and Grinder, MeetMe uses GPS to show how close you are to other people in your area who might be interested in meeting up.

"You can just chat or text each other," said Wildes, who agreed to go out with a guy named "Rico" she met on the site. The two went out three times, but on the fourth date, something went terribly wrong.

"We were going to go over to his house and eat some food," said Wildes. "His mom was cooking..."

Wildes said her date picked her up from her home in Friendswood, then drove her to northwest Harris County off FM 1960 near Fallbrook, before stopping near a Walmart parking lot.

"He told me to put a CD in the car, and in the back of his car is a 6-disc CD changer. As soon as I got out (of the car) to put the CDs in, he took off," said Wildes, who was left alone in the dark, far from home. Her purse was still in "Rico's" car -- along with her wallet, cell phone and house keys.

Friendswood Police said the suspect then drove back to Wildes' house and used her keys to get in, stealing jewelry and two flat-screen TVs.

"I couldn't believe it. I mean, I was nice to him," said Wildes. "Nothing but nice to him."

About 10 days ago, we reported on another crime, concocted through MeetMe. Candace Mesa and her boyfriend Nicholas Prier posted about a party, luring four guys to Mesa's mom's house with the promise of a good time. Once the guys arrived, they were held at gunpoint and robbed. Mesa and Prier were arrested and charged.

"You've got to be careful," said Crime Stoppers spokesperson Jeff McShan. "All criminals are using the Internet in some form or fashion. This is adults meeting adults online. Always meet at a public place, drive your own car and make sure you come home in your own car," he said.

Other helpful tips: Keep your personal items close to you; make sure a friend knows where you're going in case you need back up; carry pepper spray; don't drink to excess so you can navigate your way home quickly if need be; finally, trust your instinct.

We reached out to MeetMe, and they responded, saying: "Although we are not familiar with this case, meeting strangers offline carries risk, which is why MeetMe prominently displays safety messages to every logged-in user about the potential dangers of meeting people they don't know."

"Rico" who we learned was using a fake name, hasn't been caught.

"So, I had to re-key my house," said Wildes, who admits she learned a tough lesson from a man whom she'd actually grown to like.

"Careful. Don't trust people," she said, after deleting her profile.

While "Rico" deleted his profile, experts say it's not uncommon for these criminals to resurface after a few weeks using a different name. In this case, "Rico" used a fake name, but his real picture. He's described as Puerto Rican, 5'6", with a tattoo by his left eye. He drives an older model dark green Lexus.

If you know him, call police.