Man who claimed to be ‘millionaire’ jailed after scamming women out of £300,000 to ‘fund lifestyle’

A man who claimed to be a 'millionaire' has been jailed after it came to light he was scamming women out of over £300,000 to fund his luxury lifestyle.

Cieran McNamara - also known by the monikers Ciaran Griffin, Christian McNamara and Myles McNamara - has received a seven-year prison sentence for being a 'romantic fraudster'.

Carrying out the crimes between 1 September 2022 and 25 September 2023, it was found that the 37-year-old would strike up a relationship with his victim and, after convincing them they were in a committed relationship together, would conjure up a fake crisis and claim he needed to borrow money from them.

Cheshire Constabulary

McNamara would promise his victims - who hailed from Cheshire, Warwickshire and Hertfordshire - that he would pay the lump sum back ASAP, but instead used the money to splash out on a lavish lifestyle and shower them with gifts, including first-class train tickets, weekends away, expensive meals out, gifts and accommodation at 5-star hotels.

The fraudster was eventually exposed after a Cheshire victim clocked onto his scheming and reported her concerns to police.

In total, McNamara scammed his victims out of a staggering £302,054.26 and was later charged with four counts of fraud by false representation.

Detective Constable Victoria Hazlewood, who led the investigation, said: "McNamara is a serial fraudster, and I truly believe he cannot tell the difference between reality and fantasy.

"During our investigation, we uncovered a web of lies with thousands of text messages which he sent to his victims in order to extort cash to fund his lavish lifestyle.

"He convinced his victims he was a millionaire with properties across the country, but in reality, he was unemployed and living out of suitcase. McNamara identified ways he could control and manipulate his victims and throughout the investigation, he has shown no remorse for his actions.

Cheshire Constabulary

"He truly believed he would never be caught by police and he would never be held accountable for his despicable behaviour.

Thankfully, because of the courage and bravery of his victims, and the work of the team here in the Economic crime unit at Cheshire Constabulary, McNamara was left with no option other than to admit his guilt."

Hazlewood added: "Enquiries to locate other assets belonging to him remain ongoing and all the items recovered will be subject to a proceeds of crime hearing. While he is now behind bars, I have no doubt there are other victims across the country who have been treated in the same way and I would encourage them to come forward.

"If you believe you have been targeted by a Romance fraudster, or you believe somebody close to you has been targeted, then please contact Action Fraud so you can begin to get the necessary support and prevent other people from becoming victims."