How to expose a fraudster?
Discussion
Bit of a long one but please bear with me.......
I have a quite a large circle of friends, they're from a wide variety of backgrounds & countries with about a 50/50 gender mix. We socialise our city a lot together. We are not in the UK.
About 8 weeks ago an American guy joined the periphery of our group who seemed OK, if a little boastful of his financial situation and life experiences. He then made claims about his upbringing that made me seriously question his honesty but nothing too concerning, just things like he grew up in city A but then I overheard him tell somebody else he grew up in city B, stuff like that. He also made some silly claims about being in the US Marines & special ops type stuff.
As the weeks rolled on the stories got more unbelievable with tales of closing out large Bitcoin transactions and trips to west Africa to sign Presidential contracts. All the time being an extremely caring, charming & generous person but still firmly kept on the sidelines. A few in our group approached me (as I'm the oldest) and voiced their concerns and experiences they've had with our new American friend who is 44yo. Then came tales of increasingly extravagant experiences and promises of paid trips for his new friends. Obviously none of these promises appeared.
Late last week I was contacted by an acquaintance who had foolishly let the guy stay in her apartment whilst she was on a business trip to Istanbul and she couldn't get him out. I advised her on how to get him removed from the apartment, so he left. The lady explained what had gone on between them and got a bit emotional when she realised she had been duped but no long term damage or large financial loss for her. She did manage to record a telephone call he was having where he said he would speak to Trump Jr's aids and on the same call said he would get Elon Musks people to assist him.....
A few people within our group carried out extensive internet searches and the guy barely exists online, just a radio interview in Dubai from 2023 (that was filmed). His boasts and claims should result in him being all over the internet. He claims he has properties in the US, Switzerland, Dubai & Istanbul, expensive cars etc. He has photo's that he uses to back up all of his claims up but I don't believe the houses, cars etc. are his. He is very intelligent, smart and rather intimidating due to his size. He is very careful he doesn't break the local laws and only asks people for small amounts of moneyed never pays them back. He does speak to people when he makes his 'business' calls, the people usually have an Indian accent, our American friend is of Korean descent. His name checks out with a real passport as we have a bit of access to this kind of info but I think his name is fake or a recent acquisition, therefore a fake ID. The local police will not get involved until he does something major.
So, my question is - what the hell is he up to?
And how the hell do I get this guy away from my circle of friends?
I have a quite a large circle of friends, they're from a wide variety of backgrounds & countries with about a 50/50 gender mix. We socialise our city a lot together. We are not in the UK.
About 8 weeks ago an American guy joined the periphery of our group who seemed OK, if a little boastful of his financial situation and life experiences. He then made claims about his upbringing that made me seriously question his honesty but nothing too concerning, just things like he grew up in city A but then I overheard him tell somebody else he grew up in city B, stuff like that. He also made some silly claims about being in the US Marines & special ops type stuff.
As the weeks rolled on the stories got more unbelievable with tales of closing out large Bitcoin transactions and trips to west Africa to sign Presidential contracts. All the time being an extremely caring, charming & generous person but still firmly kept on the sidelines. A few in our group approached me (as I'm the oldest) and voiced their concerns and experiences they've had with our new American friend who is 44yo. Then came tales of increasingly extravagant experiences and promises of paid trips for his new friends. Obviously none of these promises appeared.
Late last week I was contacted by an acquaintance who had foolishly let the guy stay in her apartment whilst she was on a business trip to Istanbul and she couldn't get him out. I advised her on how to get him removed from the apartment, so he left. The lady explained what had gone on between them and got a bit emotional when she realised she had been duped but no long term damage or large financial loss for her. She did manage to record a telephone call he was having where he said he would speak to Trump Jr's aids and on the same call said he would get Elon Musks people to assist him.....
A few people within our group carried out extensive internet searches and the guy barely exists online, just a radio interview in Dubai from 2023 (that was filmed). His boasts and claims should result in him being all over the internet. He claims he has properties in the US, Switzerland, Dubai & Istanbul, expensive cars etc. He has photo's that he uses to back up all of his claims up but I don't believe the houses, cars etc. are his. He is very intelligent, smart and rather intimidating due to his size. He is very careful he doesn't break the local laws and only asks people for small amounts of moneyed never pays them back. He does speak to people when he makes his 'business' calls, the people usually have an Indian accent, our American friend is of Korean descent. His name checks out with a real passport as we have a bit of access to this kind of info but I think his name is fake or a recent acquisition, therefore a fake ID. The local police will not get involved until he does something major.
So, my question is - what the hell is he up to?
And how the hell do I get this guy away from my circle of friends?
2 GKC said:
Tell him to Foxtrot Oscar and move on
I can do that but that doesn't mean he will stop contacting my social circle. Most of my friends know he is a problem but he appears at the places we socialise at, then starts chatting with people. If they have been informed of his tactics then they are polite and move to another conversation with others but he uses the opportunity to introduce himself to friends of friends. He engineers every social situation in a way that he speaks 1 on 1 to the target person (usually a lady) and focusses on her, often asking for a WhatsApp or Insta connection soon after starting to talk.
He is very very good at what he does.
bigpriest said:
Rather than report back to you, each person in your group should just challenge every statement, ask lots of questions and agree to nothing.
Thank you for your response.We are trying to do that but it doesn't stop him from attending the same events and getting more contacts. See my above post.
There's got to be a way you can wind them up, appear to be falling heavily for the fantasies and just take the entertainment from it, or build it up so far until you can catch them out. I guess you've got to be sure whether there's some ulterior motive behind all the tall tales, or whether there's some sort of issue that could cause a meltdown if challenged.
All you can do is warn those close to you, to have nothing to do with him. He’s not bothered what you think, the locals will probably be lapping up his BS or too polite to call it
We had similar, American, huge chap in stature, the BS got ever weirder, if you could prove it was BS, he’d just react like nothing happened. His history just didn’t add up, visited 168 countries. yadda, yadda, yadda.
The strange part, he was clearly very intelligent, it just didn’t make sense.
We had similar, American, huge chap in stature, the BS got ever weirder, if you could prove it was BS, he’d just react like nothing happened. His history just didn’t add up, visited 168 countries. yadda, yadda, yadda.
The strange part, he was clearly very intelligent, it just didn’t make sense.
droopsnoot said:
There's got to be a way you can wind them up, appear to be falling heavily for the fantasies and just take the entertainment from it, or build it up so far until you can catch them out. I guess you've got to be sure whether there's some ulterior motive behind all the tall tales, or whether there's some sort of issue that could cause a meltdown if challenged.
I do take a certain amount of entertainment from it but it has started to become quite serious. The small amounts of cash he's gaining puzzle me if I'm honest. It's the ulterior motive that is concerning.
Sometimes he can't afford a cup of coffee, whilst sporting a genuine expensive watch (and I have checked his watches). It's very curious....
daqinggregg said:
All you can do is warn those close to you, to have nothing to do with him. He’s not bothered what you think, the locals will probably be lapping up his BS or too polite to call it
We had similar, American, huge chap in stature, the BS got ever weirder, if you could prove it was BS, he’d just react like nothing happened. His history just didn’t add up, visited 168 countries. yadda, yadda, yadda.
The strange part, he was clearly very intelligent, it just didn’t make sense.
Your chap sounds exactly like this guy!We had similar, American, huge chap in stature, the BS got ever weirder, if you could prove it was BS, he’d just react like nothing happened. His history just didn’t add up, visited 168 countries. yadda, yadda, yadda.
The strange part, he was clearly very intelligent, it just didn’t make sense.
Sadly you can only really warn those close to you and hope they re warn until job done with your circle
Sadly, these types just drift through life doing it.
If you’ve not followed this thread before, it’s both comical and depressing at the same time
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Some of these I have been aware of their “business” since 2017 and they still carry on
Sadly, these types just drift through life doing it.
If you’ve not followed this thread before, it’s both comical and depressing at the same time
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Some of these I have been aware of their “business” since 2017 and they still carry on
LRDefender said:
droopsnoot said:
There's got to be a way you can wind them up, appear to be falling heavily for the fantasies and just take the entertainment from it, or build it up so far until you can catch them out. I guess you've got to be sure whether there's some ulterior motive behind all the tall tales, or whether there's some sort of issue that could cause a meltdown if challenged.
I do take a certain amount of entertainment from it but it has started to become quite serious. The small amounts of cash he's gaining puzzle me if I'm honest. It's the ulterior motive that is concerning.
Sometimes he can't afford a cup of coffee, whilst sporting a genuine expensive watch (and I have checked his watches). It's very curious....
LRDefender said:
Your chap sounds exactly like this guy!
To give you a taste of what our Walter Mitty character was like, we worked in different departments of the same company. One day I was at the branch he worked at, 3 of us were chewing the fat in the car park, the 3rd person we didn’t know that well, he was just visiting.Parked next to one of the buildings, was a bright red Mercedes AMG 220.
“Who does the red Merc belong to?”
Walter Mitty, goes into a long explanation, about how it belongs to Mr X, who gained his wealth, by various nefarious activities.
At which point, the chap stood next to us, takes out a key fob, unlocks and remotely starts the car.
Walter Mitty, carries on talking, like nothing had happened.
He had nothing to gain from the lie, most strange.
The last time I saw him, he’d snared a piece of local crumpet (we called her Miss Bouncy) and was returning to Florida, I imagine, Miss B was in for a bit of a shock.
Spare tyre said:
Sadly you can only really warn those close to you and hope they re warn until job done with your circle
Sadly, these types just drift through life doing it.
If you’ve not followed this thread before, it’s both comical and depressing at the same time
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Some of these I have been aware of their “business” since 2017 and they still carry on
Thanks for the link, I'll take a look.Sadly, these types just drift through life doing it.
If you’ve not followed this thread before, it’s both comical and depressing at the same time
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Some of these I have been aware of their “business” since 2017 and they still carry on
I agree with you regarding these types just keep on doing it but it's very frustrating watching them do it over and over again.
daqinggregg said:
To give you a taste of what our Walter Mitty character was like, we worked in different departments of the same company. One day I was at the branch he worked at, 3 of us were chewing the fat in the car park, the 3rd person we didn’t know that well, he was just visiting.
Parked next to one of the buildings, was a bright red Mercedes AMG 220.
“Who does the red Merc belong to?”
Walter Mitty, goes into a long explanation, about how it belongs to Mr X, who gained his wealth, by various nefarious activities.
At which point, the chap stood next to us, takes out a key fob, unlocks and remotely starts the car.
Walter Mitty, carries on talking, like nothing had happened.
He had nothing to gain from the lie, most strange.
The last time I saw him, he’d snared a piece of local crumpet (we called her Miss Bouncy) and was returning to Florida, I imagine, Miss B was in for a bit of a shock.
How odd. Parked next to one of the buildings, was a bright red Mercedes AMG 220.
“Who does the red Merc belong to?”
Walter Mitty, goes into a long explanation, about how it belongs to Mr X, who gained his wealth, by various nefarious activities.
At which point, the chap stood next to us, takes out a key fob, unlocks and remotely starts the car.
Walter Mitty, carries on talking, like nothing had happened.
He had nothing to gain from the lie, most strange.
The last time I saw him, he’d snared a piece of local crumpet (we called her Miss Bouncy) and was returning to Florida, I imagine, Miss B was in for a bit of a shock.
It really is quite crazy just how much they believe in themselves.
Whatever subject this chap talks about he has a photo to hand to back up his story. He even has a picture of himself being awarded a certificate from Sheik Mohamed Bin Ahmed Bin Hamda Al Nahyan.
I do wonder if he's been successful in the past.
There was a guy on this very forum some years back who got found out.
A newbie who claimed to be in the medical profession and was quite an assertive poster who jumped into threads with very strong opinions often belittling other members.
Gave the impression he was a doctor, then in one thread said he was actually a "mister" which was assumed to mean he was a Consultant and he didn't deny it.
It started unravelling when IIRC he was talking about being in surgery but only watching because he'd cut his hand on a scalpel and couldn't operate so was directing or something.
He even mentioned his name on one thread and he wasn't on any registered consultants list and was called out on it quite spectacularly one night then vanished.
Probably about 10 years ago now.
A newbie who claimed to be in the medical profession and was quite an assertive poster who jumped into threads with very strong opinions often belittling other members.
Gave the impression he was a doctor, then in one thread said he was actually a "mister" which was assumed to mean he was a Consultant and he didn't deny it.
It started unravelling when IIRC he was talking about being in surgery but only watching because he'd cut his hand on a scalpel and couldn't operate so was directing or something.
He even mentioned his name on one thread and he wasn't on any registered consultants list and was called out on it quite spectacularly one night then vanished.
Probably about 10 years ago now.
Pixel Pusher said:
There was a guy on this very forum some years back who got found out.
A newbie who claimed to be in the medical profession and was quite an assertive poster who jumped into threads with very strong opinions often belittling other members.
Gave the impression he was a doctor, then in one thread said he was actually a "mister" which was assumed to mean he was a Consultant and he didn't deny it.
It started unravelling when IIRC he was talking about being in surgery but only watching because he'd cut his hand on a scalpel and couldn't operate so was directing or something.
He even mentioned his name on one thread and he wasn't on any registered consultants list and was called out on it quite spectacularly one night then vanished.
Probably about 10 years ago now.
There was a classic thing of one of the police doccos a few years back, IIRC:A newbie who claimed to be in the medical profession and was quite an assertive poster who jumped into threads with very strong opinions often belittling other members.
Gave the impression he was a doctor, then in one thread said he was actually a "mister" which was assumed to mean he was a Consultant and he didn't deny it.
It started unravelling when IIRC he was talking about being in surgery but only watching because he'd cut his hand on a scalpel and couldn't operate so was directing or something.
He even mentioned his name on one thread and he wasn't on any registered consultants list and was called out on it quite spectacularly one night then vanished.
Probably about 10 years ago now.
Some bloke had made himself a car ambulance up and was hanging around hospitals
Hospital staff alerted police
Police pulled him over
“Yes I’m an ambulance xyz for xyzshire”
Then the questions started to get to the truth very quickly
Scary thing is, imagine your toddler had just been hit by a car then this loony appeared on the scene, everyone would look to him to start helping and he might
Spare tyre said:
There was a classic thing of one of the police doccos a few years back, IIRC:
Some bloke had made himself a car ambulance up and was hanging around hospitals
Hospital staff alerted police
Police pulled him over
“Yes I’m an ambulance xyz for xyzshire”
Then the questions started to get to the truth very quickly
Scary thing is, imagine your toddler had just been hit by a car then this loony appeared on the scene, everyone would look to him to start helping and he might
Late afternoon on the outskirts of Brentford, Rob & Emily are out in the unmarked Vectra....Some bloke had made himself a car ambulance up and was hanging around hospitals
Hospital staff alerted police
Police pulled him over
“Yes I’m an ambulance xyz for xyzshire”
Then the questions started to get to the truth very quickly
Scary thing is, imagine your toddler had just been hit by a car then this loony appeared on the scene, everyone would look to him to start helping and he might
https://youtu.be/1uK5hSqdyBs?feature=shared
Pixel Pusher said:
There was a guy on this very forum some years back who got found out.
A newbie who claimed to be in the medical profession and was quite an assertive poster who jumped into threads with very strong opinions often belittling other members.
Gave the impression he was a doctor, then in one thread said he was actually a "mister" which was assumed to mean he was a Consultant and he didn't deny it.
It started unravelling when IIRC he was talking about being in surgery but only watching because he'd cut his hand on a scalpel and couldn't operate so was directing or something.
He even mentioned his name on one thread and he wasn't on any registered consultants list and was called out on it quite spectacularly one night then vanished.
Probably about 10 years ago now.
I need a like to that if someone has got it!A newbie who claimed to be in the medical profession and was quite an assertive poster who jumped into threads with very strong opinions often belittling other members.
Gave the impression he was a doctor, then in one thread said he was actually a "mister" which was assumed to mean he was a Consultant and he didn't deny it.
It started unravelling when IIRC he was talking about being in surgery but only watching because he'd cut his hand on a scalpel and couldn't operate so was directing or something.
He even mentioned his name on one thread and he wasn't on any registered consultants list and was called out on it quite spectacularly one night then vanished.
Probably about 10 years ago now.
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