A Scottish conman who modelled himself on the Wolf of Wall Street has been accused of leaving customers and investors more than £100,000 out of pocket has been pictured living it large abroad.
Crooked businessman Matthew Farr was previously jailed for his green energy solution scheme that took advantage of householders across central Scotland who wanted to install solar panels at their homes.
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Farr, 37, formerly of Glasgow, disappeared once he got their deposit and used the money for gambling and luxury living.
The Daily Record reports that the fraudster is now at the centre of new claims after setting up a car repair firm in England.
Photos of Farr on social media show him posing with expensive cars and motorbikes and enjoying exotic holidays – despite acquaintances claiming he owes them thousands.
Farr, who also calls himself Matthew Scott, set up Masco Detailing Limited, which is listed on Companies House as a firm involved in “maintenance and repair of motor vehicles”.
He persuaded people to invest in the firm with the promise of lucrative returns but they claim he disappeared after taking their cash.
Farr, who now lives in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, has also been accused of taking money upfront from customers for jobs that were never carried out.
Masco Detailing Ltd was formed in July 2020 with Scott as its sole director and was based in Worcester before moving to new premises in Inkberrow, Worcestershire, and then Warwick in the West Midlands.
One man, who invested more than £75,000 in the company in 2021, said: “He showed me bank statements to show he had paid dividends.
"He told investors we would be getting about £49,000 back but then the day the dividends were due he sent a message blaming Facebook and Instagram algorithms not allowing ads and said we weren’t going to be receiving any dividends. We never received a penny.
“The police said he hasn’t done anything wrong as investment is a risk. People need to know who he really is and what he does.”
Masco Detailing’s first set of accounts were due by April last year but have still not been filed. Last week his business Facebook page and website stated Masco Detailing was open for business.
Another investor called Charles said he handed over £20,000 but never saw a penny in return. He said: “He sent me proper evidence of investment returns. I was promised £5000 plus interest after six months, then after 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months.
"Then the excuses started and he said there were issues with cash flow.
“However, he was always out on his fancy motorbike and was always away on foreign holidays with his partner. He just sucked money out of people.”
The Daily Record also spoke to a former F1 mechanic for Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, who invested £10,000.
The 29-year-old, from Oxfordshire, who asked not to be named, said: “I came onboard in May 2021. Six months later, when we were due to be paid our first dividends, he started coming up with excuses.
" In December of that year, one of the other investors came across the Sunday Mail’s previous coverage of Matthew Farr and Matthew Scott.That’s when we realised it was a con.
“I went to ask for my money back but he had moved to another premises.”
One former employee, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed he is aware of more than 20 customers Farr ripped off by taking money upfront for work on their cars which he never carried out.
Jonathan Howard was the landlord of a house in Inkberrow with a workshop which Farr rented and initially ran his business from. He claimed he was left £10,000 out of pocket after Farr stopped paying him rent for seven months.
After a legal battle, Jonathan, 30, claimed Farr left the property hours ahead of bailiffs evicting him. He said: “He always claimed people hadn’t paid him.”
One customer said he paid Farr £3450 in August 2021 but he refused to carry out the work or refund the money before abandoning the premises. The Sunday Mail understands Farr also owes £5000 to a tool hire firm and a year’s rent to a second landlord.
Dozens of customers also left reviews online complaining of being ripped off.
Farr, who was first exposed by the Sunday Mail in 2012, set up recruitment firm Wolf International while being probed by police in
Scotland.
He modelled himself on Jordan Belfort, the fraudster played by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf Of Wall Street.
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In a lengthy email to the Sunday Mail Mr Farr, now Scott, claimed his business was affected by Covid along with changes in customer spending habits and marketing issues.
He claimed investors had been aware of issues with the firm’s finances and said all investors were paid dividends in March 2021.
He claimed he put his own money into the firm, one landlord was paid and his employee’s CSA deductions were paid.
He added: “I have fought tooth and nail to try and make things work.
“In the end I lost a 100k a year sole trader business from before I took any investment or staff on, my home and my car all within a month of having my first child.
“The sum total of personal loss and debt I have now far surpasses the sum total of investors and customers. So to suggest I have been living the life of luxury off of other people’s money couldn’t be further from the truth.”
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