"Shocking Tactics: British Con Artists Swindle Millions, Then Show Off Their Luxurious Diamonds and Cars"

WHEN Mike Berard had a simple concrete ramp installed at his home, he had no idea the project was about to spiral into a £370,000 living hell.

What started off as an easy construction job soon morphed into a cruel campaign of psychological warfare which ended up costing the retiree huge amounts of cash he had saved for his grandchildren’s medical bills.

It all started when Mike, from Swansea, Massachusetts, met two men who called themselves Jack Murphy and George Adams who appeared to be doing a repair job at another home in the neighbourhood.

The granddad, 67, claims he paid them to install a ramp at his property to help when pulling his lawnmower in and out of his basement.

Once the job was done, the pair allegedly launched a campaign of extreme intimidation – terrifying Mike with warnings that his home’s crumbling foundations were on the brink of collapse.

But they promised to fix the nightmare fast with zero fuss.

Mike told The Sun: “They dug down by hand and they noticed a few cracks that had been patched, but they had me in a panic… they scared me and my wife.”

The two-faced duo, who claimed to be Scottish, even convinced Mike he could sue his original builders for shoddy work once the repairs had been done.

Hooked by the scam, Mike was pressured into writing a string of eye-watering cheques – coughing up around £35,000 a time to the fraudsters.

He said: “It devastated us. They threatened that ‘the house is going to collapse’, or ‘we’re going call the building inspector’ and we’re going to be homeless.”

He added: “It just turned into a nightmare, it was always more money, and I kept saying I need paperwork.

“And then they’d say, ‘but we need more money to finish the job’. It was always more money.”

Mike’s case, which unfolded in early 2025, bears all the hallmarks of the Travelling Conmen – a ruthless syndicate of British and Irish fraudsters hunting victims across the US.

The so-called Travelling Conmen Fraud Group has fleeced Americans out of millions – stealing life savings meant for medical bills and college funds.

Some of their alleged plots have descended into deadly .

They made headlines last month after the , who US authorities said was linked to the group.

He was by Philadelphia homeowner George Barr, 75, who was getting cladding work done to his home by the Brit.

Barr has since been charged with third degree murder and last appeared in court on July 30.

When carrying out the schemes, con artists persuade victims to hand over thousands of pounds for equipment or work that is never completed – or done to a poor standard.

The has designated the Travelling Conmen as a Transnational Organised group.

Mike, who says he loses sleep thinking about the ordeal, says he would have liked to spend the money on medical bills for his grandchildren.

He said the case of Hanrahan, who was shot and killed earlier this month, terrified him.

Mike believes it easily could have been him who was injured or killed in a violent altercation stemming from one of these scams.

He said: “I wouldn’t put anything past these guys. These guys would stop at nothing.”

Speculating that the duo took advantage of his anxious nature, Mike said: “I’m not a stupid person, but I fell for it. I’m nervous, so I think they picked up on that. They had me and my wife terrified.”

The so-called builders were also constantly paranoid of officials finding out about their activities, Mike claimed.

He said: “They were always terrified. The real reason was because they were hiding from the authorities.”

Mike described the pair as “ticks that suck the blood out of you”.

US authorities have cracked down on a few of the Travelling Conmen – including Irish national James Dinnigan, who was jailed for defrauding victims out of £741,840.

One of his victims, Ginia Hines, claimed she lost £35,000 to the scammer – money she had saved for her son’s college fees.

Elijah Gavin, 29, was sentenced to four years behind bars in the US in November for his role in the same fraud ring.

He had been on the run from HMP Magilligan in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

And a woman from New York told the BBC how she lost nearly £750,000 to a scammer from Northern Ireland who went on to buy his wife a 10-carat diamond ring before flaunting it on social media.

The same suspect was also seen posing with a Ferrari following the ordeal, the report claims.

The woman alleged that he threatened her children’s safety if she did not hand over cash.

In another case, serial fraudster John O’Brien, 28, admitted to scamming property owners of over £1.1million between 2021 and 2025 before he was handed a four-and-a-half-year sentence.

He used his shared Irish heritage to trick an 83-year-old war veteran into shelling out tens of thousands for fake home repairs, according to Rhode Island and Massachusetts prosecutors.

Dr Michael Levi, a crime expert who was worked with Europol and the UK , said it was a “Wild West” for homeowners who have very little protection from these scammers.

He said the groups often target old, disabled or vulnerable people.

And he believes it’s “only a matter of time” before another violent case, like the Hanrahan ordeal, takes place again.

He told The Sun: “They’re often quite charming… then they can turn very nasty and frighten people.”

The Travelling Conmen often target people who are vulnerable and in a “stressed condition”, he said.

He added: “They’re entering the country illegally, either without an Esta or a travel authorisation document altogether – or with one based on a false identity, and they’re going around defrauding people.”

The expert noted that these conmen can threaten victims with violence if they do not cough up huge sums of cash.

He said: “If they start threatening them… if they’re not used to dealing with violent or aggressive people, then they’ll often give in.”

Dr Levi also explained that the cases may be underreported as may not join all the dots and link victims together.

The rate of these scams may be on the rise, he warned.

He said: “It’s plausible that it’s increased. A pattern of this kind of behaviour ought to interest the authorities at some level.”

Mike says police have not been able to catch those responsible for the scam – and hopes of finding the culprits has dwindled.

He said: “Those idiots need to be arrested, but they’re never going to find them.”

Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley told The Sun: “We were unable to positively identify the suspects, and it appears Mr Berard may have been the final victim of this group before they exited the country.

“We have attempted to educate the public on this type of scam and various others that are continuous and ongoing.

“We encourage the public to contact the police at all times whenever someone is asking for or demanding money.”

He added: “Citizens are encouraged to vet any and all companies that they plan to do business with.

“They are encouraged to confirm that they are dealing with contractors that are licensed and insured through the State of Massachusetts.

“In addition, they should always contact our Building Inspector when there is proposed work to be done on their property.”

The Sun approached the FBI for comment.