A man in the UK has been deceiving people for years by faking fatal illnesses and fictitious careers.
In Britain, a man named Matthew Howarth scammed his old school friend Tom Lee out of thousands of pounds after telling him a fictitious story about terminal brain cancer. The fraud turned out to be just one of many “wild lies” Howarth used over at least a decade to trick gullible people out of their money.
This was reported by the Daily Mail.
Deception and fictional stories
Matthew Howarth cynically told Tom Lee that he had only weeks to live unless he could find the money for specialist treatment at a private hospital. The sympathetic Tom, who was in a vulnerable state after his partner split, gave Howarth £2,700 (over $3,600) to “save his friend’s life.” However, Tom soon discovered that Howarth’s illness had been a fantastical lie that had lasted for 14 months.
Howarth was found to have used at least five aliases over the past decade. He also made up stories about his successful career as a BBC producer, claiming he had “accumulated millions” but his assets were frozen due to blackmail.
Howarth created fake celebrity profiles in closed Facebook groups that praised his talent. He also tricked people into giving him money and “gifts” by sending them touching stories about his difficult childhood and financial difficulties.
The Court's Decision and the Victim's Reaction
Howarth was jailed for 12 months for fraud by misrepresentation, but his sentence was reduced a few days later to 20 weeks' probation with three months' house arrest. He must also pay Tom Lee £1,200 compensation and be subject to a two-year restraining order.
“His victim Tom Lee was left seething with anger that the fraudster remained free and acted as if nothing had happened. He fears that others could fall prey to Howarth again,” the publication notes.
Journalists added that Tom Lee, who still hasn't recovered from the betrayal, believes that Howarth will not change and will continue to look for new victims.
Let us recall that a fraudster swindled Ukrainians out of more than 800 thousand UAH. The criminal pretended to be a bank employee.
