A Kent fraudster who posed as a millionaire businessman to trick his victims out of thousands of pounds has been sentenced to prison.
Aidan Sinclair, 61 from Greenhithe, forged documents to win the trust of three people he targeted between 2020 and 2022.
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One victim was persuaded to invest in a non-existent company and was also tricked into giving Sinclair money for a supposed property purchase. Another victim was convinced Sinclair had millions in an offshore account and was offered tickets to Ascot, which were never bought. The third victim was defrauded out of money after Sinclair promised to invest in their companies.
Sinclair was arrested in August 2022 and pleaded guilty to multiple fraud offences. He was sentenced to three years and two months in prison at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday 15 October 2024.
The incidents were each reported to Action Fraud and led to Kent Police arresting Sinclair at the two-bedroom flat where he was living in Greenhithe, in August 2022.
Investigating officer Detective Constable James Burr said:
‘Aidan Sinclair is a manipulative and dishonest individual with a history of offences, who causes financial hardship to his victims.
‘Whilst he goes to great lengths to believably portray himself as a wealthy and successful businessman, he is quite simply a criminal who has not a shred of remorse for the people affected by his crimes.
‘I hope this case sends a strong message to everyone that you should only give money to an individual or organisation if you are absolutely certain they are who they say they are. Always remember the ABC rule to fraud prevention – never Assume someone is telling the truth or Believe what they say unless you are confident of their identity, and always Confirm the details they have provided. If something does seem too good to be true, then it probably is.’