Leigh Abbot told police it was "just too easy" taking a total of $157,000 from 12 victims between 2014 and 2016 - most of whom he met online through Tinder, Facebook or dating website Plenty of Fish.

The Perth District Court heard on Friday the 37-year-old from Glendalough often targeted single mothers, encouraging them to send him illicit images which he would later use to extort money from them.

Reading from a psychological report, Judge Bruce Goetze said Abbot was, "gracious and charming... but underneath that facade is someone who can be cruel, malicious and fear provoking".

"You've preyed upon vulnerable women... you formed relationships with them... these ladies trusted you, you betrayed their trust," he said.

Abbot's 21 charges included 12 counts of fraud.

One woman handed over $115,000 while another gave him $25,000. Most gave between $400 and $2500.

The state prosecution lawyer said Abbot had a "standard practice" for getting money from the women; he would befriend them online, begin texting, and eventually ask for between $200 to $500 to pay rent because his bank account wasn't working, with the promise to pay it back.

He would then create further lies in an attempt to get more money from them, with his communication often becoming threatening if they refused.

In a text message to a woman who he had explicit images of, he requested $300 and said, "I could be greedy, but I ain't" and later in another text, "I don't need your permission (to post the images) that's the risk you take."

The court heard one of Abbot's victims, whose name is suppressed, worked at a primary school. He threatened to send photos and videos of her to her employer if she didn't send money.

"When my path crossed with Mr Abbot I was so very lonely... I was already someone suffering low self esteem," the woman said in a victim impact statement.

"I felt degraded, humiliated, worthless and used."

The woman resigned from her job as a result of the stress from Abbot's threats.

Another victim, also a single mother, said she moved house and dyed her hair after he made threats to "do a letter drop" in her neighbourhood of her explicit photos with her name and address on them if she didn't give him money.

"He stepped up the text messages to an aggressive level... 70 texts in one day," the state prosecutor said.

Other women who Abbot did not have photos of, he would threaten with violence.

"The bikies will find out where you work and pay you a visit," he text one of his victims.

The court heard Abbot also defrauded an elderly woman he met at a shop, and harassed his former girlfriend via text.

His lawyer Dave Fort argued Abbot, who had played and coached football teams in Tasmania at a similar level to the Western Australian Football League before moving to Perth in 2013, was remorseful of his actions.

He blamed his offending on a gambling addiction which led to a $250-a-day cannabis habit and codeine addiction.

"This is a tragic story of deceit at the highest level," Mr Fort said.

"Lives have been completely destroyed because of his actions... it was very distressing for them."

He said Abbot needed professional help to beat his addiction and wanted to eventually pay his victim's back the money he owed.

He never carried out any of the threats he made to the women and told police to did not know any outlaw gang members in Perth.

In sentencing Abbot, Judge Goetze said the imprisonment should act as a warning to others who seek to extort money from vulnerable people online. Abbot, who has been in custody since July 2016, will be eligible for parole in January 2020.