Donna Andersen

Donna Andersen is author of Lovefraud.com, a website and blog that teaches people how to recognize and recover from sociopaths. She is also the author Red Flags of Love Fraud - 10 signs you're dating a sociopath, and the Red Flags of Love Fraud Workbook.

Donna learned about sociopaths the hard way—by marrying one. James Alwyn Montgomery, originally of Sydney, Australia, met her and quickly proposed in 1996. In two-and-a-half years, Montgomery defrauded her of $227,000, cheated on her with at least six different women, fathered a child with one of them, and then, 10 days after Andersen left him, married the mother of the child. It was the second time he committed bigamy. Her first book, Love Fraud—How marriage to a sociopath fulfilled my spiritual plan, tells the whole outrageous story.

This man had no conscience, no empathy and lied prolifically—which Donna learned, far too late, were the cardinal signs of a sociopath. Suspecting that other people were as unfamiliar with sociopaths as she once was, in 2005, Donna launched Lovefraud.com to educate the public about this destructive personality disorder. It’s working.

Lovefraud.com now receives 3,000 visits every day, and readers often say the website is the best source on the Internet about sociopaths. Donna has collected 3,000 cases of people targeted by sociopaths. Some readers share their experiences on the Lovefraud blog, which has evolved into a healing community of survivors. In fact, Donna receives many e-mails from people who thank Lovefraud for saving their lives.

Donna’s prior career in journalism, advertising and marketing communications helped her to create an effective website. She was the original editor of Atlantic City Magazine from 1978 to 1982. She founded a boutique advertising agency, Donna Andersen Copywriting, in 1983. Her portfolio includes multimedia scriptwriting, freelance magazine articles, newsletters, print ads, brochures, direct mail, press releases, radio commercials, website content, e-mail campaigns and white papers.

Donna graduated summa cum laude from the Syracuse University's S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1978. While at college she co-founded a student magazine and worked at the student newspaper, the Daily Orange. She also took up crew, and is still a competitive rower.

Donna lives with her new husband, Terry Kelly, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.