This really reminds me of a guy who moved into my friend’s town.
He went out of his way to be nice to every one, joined the football club, made genuine friends, asked my pal to be his best man when he’d only known him a couple of months, took over as club treasurer… and emptied the club bank account in order to live the high life.
At the same time as all this he said he’d pay for all his and his wife’s family to stay at a posh hotel in Italy for their wedding. They all arrive where he has said to find that there’s no booking. He claims a mix up.
In the meantime he’s getting money off people to do group purchases of things at crazy low prices, but something usually goes wrong and there’s always an excuse as to why he can’t pay them back right away. Family health problems were invoked.
Not an out an out professional scammer, just a bulls***er who got way out of his depth. Creditors chasing him from all directions, it all went to court and he ended up with a suspended sentence and community service I think.
Even now there are people who stick up for him, let him buy them champagne with money he got from god knows where and refuse to believe that he could be a villain… because they know him and he’s a good bloke and he never ripped them off.