The drama series "Armukelm" (Love Rat), which recently aired on ETV, is largely based on real events. For example, 54-year-old Hannes Raja managed to win over the hearts and often beds of numerous women, ultimately taking their money too. Though the pattern seemed clear, victims were frustrated that police only opened a criminal case after "Pealtnägija" reported on the story in November of last year. Now, it can be reported that on one hand, the "Saaremaa Casanova" has been handed a formal suspicion from authorities; on the other, he is allegedly still seeking out new, gullible targets.

A woman holding a respected professional position said she has spent the last few years living like a character from the drama "Armukelm."

"These victims are naive, kind and gentle, but their losses are significant in many ways," said the third victim.

Given the large number of women who identify as victims, "Pealtnägija" did not assign aliases in interviews, but used sequential numbers instead, especially since their stories were so similar.

"This could be described in everyday terms as 'romance fraud,' where an emotional and intimate connection is formed and then used to manipulate the victim into giving money," said Kristjan Lill, a senior prosecutor at the Northern District Prosecutor's Office.

In November last year, "Pealtnägija" aired a story involving ten women from across Estonia and Finland. All were in their fifties, professionally successful and had savings set aside, but also felt lonely at one point. That vulnerability made them targets of the same scammer, who got into their heads, into their beds and ultimately into their bank accounts. The story was so sensitive that all victims agreed to appear only anonymously.

"This is serious fraud! He may have ten 'relationships' going at once, but no one dares to speak out publicly because of the shame and humiliation. You become a laughingstock," said the first victim.

Because the women didn't know each other for a long time and were too embarrassed to come forward — and police initially failed to see the full pattern — the scheme reached astonishing proportions. While many stories focus on fictitious foreign princes, this antihero lives mainly on Saaremaa and is named Hannes Raja. He declined to appear on camera, but admitted in an earlier interview to accepting money from women. He claimed difficulties in repaying were simply due to unfortunate circumstances, blown out of proportion.

"There's a lot of bla-bla-blah in all this. It's like a women's marketplace. Things aren't really so black and white — that Hannes is the bad guy and everyone else some innocent little lamb. That's not how it is," Raja said in that interview.

Under various aliases, Hannes frequently maintained profiles on dating sites ranging from Tinder to Date24 and Rate.ee to Iha.ee. He presented himself as a divorced or separated construction entrepreneur working in both Estonia and Finland. To prove his wealth, he flaunted gold jewelry, cars and talked about owning properties in Estonia and Spain.

"He created what we can now call an optical illusion — that he was a successful businessman in Finland and that money was always moving. At the time, he drove a fancy Mercedes and the whole package — his words and his image came together in a way that built trust," said Tanel Riivits, legal representative for one of the victims.

In reality, two short-lived, loss-making companies are registered in Raja's name. He owns no property and lives in an apartment building in Ridala village, Saaremaa, with his legal wife. To top it off, he had his driver's license revoked due to numerous traffic violations, though witnesses said that didn't stop him from driving.

"When I first met him and Googled his name, nothing negative came up. Not a single detail suggested he might be a scammer," said the first victim.

"Google didn't show anything bad. I really believed in him. I thought it was true love," said the fourth victim.

"And pretty quickly the conversation turned to how we should start living together," said the third victim.

"What all these women had in common was that many were single or recently divorced, deprived of male attention and this man knew how to combine these factors to his advantage," said Riivits.

"Pealtnägija" has over 500 messages and emails between Hannes and the women — essentially a masterclass in manipulation. Typically, online chats moved to texts and phone calls, then meetings in cafés and eventually overnight stays at hotels or apartments. Some of his favorite rendezvous spots were Asa Spa in Kuressaare, Hotel Europa in Tallinn and Go Hotel Shnelli.

"First, he recognizes that the women aren't poor and have financial means. Second, that they're desperate. And he exploits that situation very skillfully," said the fourth victim.

One woman had a recently matured savings deposit, another had money set aside to start a business and a third ran a small but successful company — in short, they all had disposable income. When comparing messages and testimonies, three main excuses emerged that Hannes used to ask for money. First: his business partners owed him money and he urgently needed a cash injection to continue a key project.

"On November 3, 2022, he wrote: 'I went to the ER today, nearly fell from scaffolding, too much pressure at work, working 16-hour days. The project must be done in two months. I've put in €800,000 of my own money, but now I'm out and I need a €7,000 loan for two months,'" read the second victim.

"He'd say, 'My business is in trouble. I really need this amount. I'm struggling with health issues. If you don't help me now, something worse will happen,'" explained Lill.

Another common story: he'd been in a car accident and needed to either buy a new car or cover damages. He even told some victims that his daughter had died in a car crash, which was not true.

"It's clearly a psychological tactic — painting himself as a helpless victim in need of support. Nature has wired us this way: women tend to love with their ears," said Riivits.

But his favorite tale was the promise of building a life together. He proposed this dream to all the victims — sometimes at the same time. To one, he sent photos of a half-built home for sale in Nasva; to another, a "golden" seaside plot in Orissaare; to a third, he spoke of a house near Maardu. All he needed was seed money and the woman should take out a loan if necessary.

"He told me that if I invest in a property in Orissaare, Saaremaa, he would build us a beautiful American-style house there. He kept sending pictures of what it would look like — it was all so beautiful," recalled the fourth victim.

When women hesitated or asked too many questions, Hannes would start complaining about his health, send hospital photos with IVs, act hurt and eventually even threaten self-harm.

"If you don't help me anymore, I'll hang myself. Goodbye, you'll never see me again." Then a few days later: "Forgive me for saying that — I'm just in a bad place," the first victim recounted.

"One of his so-called threats was that if I didn't support him financially, he'd have to find someone else to help him and he already had someone in mind. Even though he loved me deeply, he'd go to this other woman," the third victim remembered.

According to "Pealtnägija's" calculations, Hannes Raja received nearly €200,000 from these women — often under a formal loan agreement or promissory note — but once the money was transferred, he would suddenly become unreachable. Strangely, while spinning these webs with multiple women, an article appeared in local paper Saarte Hääl in January 2024 — complete with video — showing Hannes and his wife, Piret Raja, proudly presenting their home in Ridala and talking about owning an apartment in Spain. Though the article was later removed at the couple's request, some victims noticed it and began quietly connecting through the comment section.

Several women approached the police, only to be told that no crime had occurred because, in fraud cases, it must be proven that the suspect never intended to repay the money from the start.

"That makes me so angry, honestly! It seems absurd that there are no levers in Estonia to stop something like this. It's terrifying!" said the third victim.

After the November broadcast, more victims came forward — victims number five and six. One lives in Tallinn, the other in a small rural area.

"I thought I was the only one who'd been conned. To learn there were so many others actively dealing with this — it really surprised me," said the sixth victim.

"It was heartbreaking to find out I wasn't alone. This wasn't some random occurrence, it was systematic!" said the fifth victim.

Their stories were nearly identical to the earlier ones — from the fake construction business to the dream of a shared home. According to "Pealtnägija," the total number of known victims is now at least 14 — but that number may still grow.

"He really has this ability to hypnotize. That's the best word. He knows how to target women in a specific age group — ones who've maybe raised children alone for years — and then suddenly this man appears, showering them with sweet talk," said the fifth victim.

"The main line he fed us was: we'll sell everything in Estonia and move to Spain to start a life together. I love sunny getaways, so for me, it was music to my ears," said the sixth victim.

There's no need to recount every twist, but once again, Hannes managed to borrow €3,500 from each of the two women before vanishing.

"After that, he completely disappeared! Always busy, always rushing and we never met again," said the sixth victim.

Emotions ran high when women tried to reclaim their money or threatened legal action — Hannes often lashed out.

"There were all kinds of insults and threats, telling me to watch my back when going outside, hinting that he had people who could do things to me," said the fifth victim.

To make matters worse, Hannes or his wife allegedly warned that intimate videos of the women would be leaked online if they talked too much.

"What do you mean I launched a counterattack? Did I call them, threaten them? I haven't threatened a single person. Don't twist the facts!" said Raja.

"He said the same to me — that he had a video and would put it online if I kept talking. That he'd send some big guys my way. Like, 'you figure out what happens next,'" the sixth victim said.

"I haven't contacted anyone since "Pealtnägija" aired," Raja claimed, adding that he does have videos and questioned whether the women might have been the ones threatening him.

"He's truly astonishing in how he plays the victim. He flips the situation completely, so it's not the women who are victims, but him," said the fifth victim.

"In the end, he said, 'If you don't leave me alone, I'll sue "Pealtnägija" too. Things don't work like this, that you just come at me. Have you proven I've taken anything? Am I guilty? Have I been convicted? You just pick someone and make a show!'" Raja snapped at a "Pealtnägija" reporter.

In December, after the broadcast and more victims came forward, police finally opened a criminal case. According to Raigo Prants, head of the Lääne-Harju Police Department's investigations unit, and senior prosecutor Lill, the malicious pattern wasn't immediately clear, partly because victims didn't all report to the same precincts.

"You need patterns, and those patterns become apparent when one case sits next to two more or a third. Looking at those clusters, you can tell this isn't random. It's systematic," said Lill.

"A year ago, we were alerted that this case was much larger than it first appeared. That's when the police reacted and decided it warranted serious attention," said Prants.

"Honestly, I had a small hope that something would unravel, and it did," said the third victim.

Though some victims feel the investigation took too long and were frustrated by the offer of a plea deal along the way, police forwarded the case to the Prosecutor's Office for charges in mid-September. Officially, the case includes ten victims — some declined to participate in the proceedings. The total alleged loss is €127,000. Raja, however, continues to proclaim his innocence.

"Let them prove it! That's what the police are for — not you. It's their job to prove it. Simple as that!" said Raja.

Raja insists to this day that the projects were real but claims he'll only start repaying debts after the criminal case concludes. Meanwhile, he's still active on dating apps. As recently as early November, he had a Tinder profile under the name "Sannu," claiming to be a senior executive. Even more bizarrely, he used that alias to approach a woman he had already ghosted before.

"He started sending pictures again and asking to meet. At first, I was so confused — what's happening, where could this go?" said the fifth victim.

"It's sad, honestly. He knows he's a suspect. He's been questioned. He refused to comment on his episodes — and yet he continues. That shows real malice and possibly a criminal mindset," said Prants.

"He told me he changed his name, that he's partly in Estonia and completely free. Told his whole story in a very convincing way. When I asked, he said clearly: he just didn't like his name anymore," the fifth victim added.

"I can be anyone — even Nipi-Tiri — but what does that matter here? Am I not allowed to talk to people? Are you planning to attack me forever? The case is with the police, let them handle it. Simple as that. What, you've got no other stories to cover?" Raja told the reporter.

In theory, the women can attach civil claims to the criminal case, but given Raja's past record, which includes multiple enforcement actions under similar circumstances, and the fact that he is officially unemployed and without assets, the likelihood of recovering funds is slim. Though the law is on paper, victims say they feel abandoned.

"The justice system doesn't protect us and these kinds of men keep appearing every day. It's frightening," said the third victim.

"It's like Hannes is laughing in our faces — 'You can't do anything. I'll do what I want and you'll get nothing.' He even called us a bunch of whores. 'You whores won't see a cent,'" said the sixth victim.

The broader lesson? Keep money and romance separate. If your prince or princess is asking for cash quickly, it's time to be extremely cautious.

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