A woman from West Derby discovered the infamous Bumble Swindler had tried to make her another victim after reading about his story in the ECHO.
Sarah, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, told the ECHO how she had engaged in repeated conversations with serial romance fraudster Cieran McNamara between 2019 and 2021. The now 36-year-old said McNamara, who called himself Myles, repeatedly asked her for pictures of herself, tried to arrange to meet her, and on one occasion, asked her for money to “get back to Liverpool from London”.
But it was only last week that Sarah found out McNamara’s true identity – a fraudster who built a false, lavish lifestyle for himself by swindling money from women who he pretended to be in loving relationships with. McNamara, who also used the names Ciaran Griffin, Christian McNamara and Myles McNamara travelled across the UK in first class on trains and planes, while staying in 5* hotels.
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He met his victims through a variety of different methods. On some occasions he met them online on dating sites like Bumble and Tinder, while on others he would visit exclusive hotels and clubs, with the overall aim of praying of wealthy or vulnerable individuals for his own financial gain.
After carefully selecting his victims, he would start relationships with them, convincing them he was successful in a number of different fields. To some he would masquerade as a successful businessman with a string of high value properties in his portfolio, while to others he would pretend to be a barrister.
When he first started speaking with Sarah after matching on a dating app, McNamara claimed he was in a band. He also claimed to be a DJ who spent time living in Ibiza. Speaking to the ECHO this week, Sarah said: “I met him either on Tinder or Bumble and he asked for my number. He was quite a good looking lad so I gave it to him and we started texting.
“He said he was born in America but had lived in the UK for a while. He said he was in a band, but when I asked if I would know them, he said they were small and not one I would have heard of. He said he was touring all the time, and would go missing. He would then pop back up a couple of weeks later and start texting again.
“He told me he lived in Liverpool. He asked where I was from and I said I was from West Derby. He then said he had lived in houses behind the Jolly Miller for 15 years. This was weird to me, I’ve lived in West Derby all my life and know the houses there are pretty new.”
To help convince women of his wealth, McNamara showed them pictures of himself at mansions in London and Cheshire to substantiate his false accounts, as well as pictures of him travelling first class across the world. Sarah told the ECHO on more than one occasion he sent her images of himself sitting on first class trains.
Sarah said McNamara also claimed his family members were ill and that was why he took so long to reply. He said his dad had a brain haemorrhage in America. Shortly after mentioning his dad’s illness, he changed the subject back to lewd messages.
It was only after reading his story this month that Sarah learnt he did not know who his dad was. The Daily Mail reported that McNamara was raised by his mum and then his nan, with the elderly lady actually becoming his first victim. It was reported that McNamara fleeced Kathleen O’Sullivan out of around £60,000 after withdrawing money from her account and raiding a wardrobe where she stashed her cash.
Sarah told the ECHO McNamara would send photos of himself to her. He would also ask for photos of herself in return. He would send flirtatious messages where he said he “wanted to kiss her lips” or “get into bed with her”. Sarah said she would not reciprocate his repeated advances to meet in person with her.
He even asked to come and get into bed with her when she was in the hospital being treated for her long-term illness and claim to be in Liverpool and said he was “after a date”.
McNamara would go missing for weeks at a time and then message again, claiming he had been busy on tour with his band or playing DJ sets in Ibiza. Sometimes the messages would come from an unknown number, with McNamara saying he had lost his phone. He also started to send her SoundCloud links to music that he claimed was by his band.
However, Sarah said the messages progressed to asking for money – something she flat out refused to do. Although Sarah never met him, despite his repeated attempts, McNamara often went on dates with unsuspecting women where he flooded them with gifts, weekends away and expensive meals.
However, the victims didn’t know he was using money he had taken from other women to fund his lifestyle. After convincing his victims they were in a loving relationship, he would create a fake crisis, claiming he was having issues with his banking and needed to borrow money, which he said he would repay as soon as possible. If any of the women questioned his motives, he would turn it on them and blame them for doubting him.
Between September 1 2022 and September 25 the following year, McNamara managed to manipulate four victims in Cheshire, Warwickshire and Hertfordshire to hand over £302,054.26. His downfall came after his victim in Cheshire realised what he was doing and reported her concerns to police.
An investigation was launched by detectives from the Cheshire Constabulary Economic Crime Unit which resulted in McNamara’s arrest in Colchester on September 28. He was subsequently charged with four counts of fraud by false representation. Following his arrest officers have since raided a lock-up which was being rented by McNamara where they recovered approximately £19,500 worth of brand new goods – including a £1,900 Burberry Coat, a £400 Burberry Scarf, Dubarry boots, Gucci trainers and a Ping golf set.
Enquiries to locate other assets belonging to him remain ongoing and all the items recovered will be subject to a proceeds of crime hearing. Detective Constable Victoria Hazlewood, who led the investigation, said: “McNamara is a serial fraudster, and I truly believe that 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 that he was a millionaire with properties across the country, but in reality, he was unemployed and living out of a suitcase.
“McNamara identified ways he could control and manipulate his victims and throughout the investigation, he has shown no remorse for his actions. He truly believed that he would never be caught by police and that 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. While he is now behind bars, I have no doubt that 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 that 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.”
When asked how McNamara’s offending made her feel, Sarah told the ECHO: “It knocked me sick. He was clearly targeting people who he thought were vulnerable. If he can do that to his own family, it’s no surprise he did it to other women as well.
“He has no morals. It’s quite scary that he managed to get money from those poor women. He’s a master manipulator who repeatedly gaslights women. There are so many similarities to the Netflix show the Tinder Swindler and the Football Fraudster. To be a good liar you have to have a good memory as well and there were just too many inconsistencies in his story.
“I just knew there was something not right with him and now his face and story is out there for all to see. You have to do better than that to pull the wool over a Scouse girl’s eyes.”
McNamara, 37 and from Coventry, was jailed for seven years at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, February 6.
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
