Hamish McLaren is the ultimate cheater. For three decades, across four continents, he targeted many disadvantaged women and defrauded them of their life savings. In the interview, Casanova revealed his interviews with several deeply traumatized victims, telling Conman about his life of deceit and the events that eventually led to his arrest.
In one anecdote, a single mother recalled being so impressed by McLaren that she agreed to marry him and eventually suspected he was seducing his 16-year-old daughter. Another wealthy single mother has opened up about her love and savings for McLaren. By the time she realized it, he had taken her for more than $1.5 million, eventually forcing her to sell assets to pay her debts. Another victim revealed how she first met McLaren on an online dating site. After a year and a half of dating, her lover was arrested for past exploits before she discovered the truth about him. She lost $320,000.
As his treasonous reign draws to a close, investigators have found he defrauded several women of more than $8 million. Along with his other fraudulent activities, his scam earned him over $70 million.
These women describe the qualities that make McLaren such a successful hustler. He’s handsome and charming, and even seems open about his past mistakes and personal flaws. He paints a convincing self-portrait of himself as an unwanted child who grew up to be a self-made man with great dignity and ambition. He drives a luxury car and wears top designer suits. His victims had no reason to suspect that he was defrauding them of their money.
In hindsight, each victim recognized the red flags—the inconsistencies, the white lies, the inexplicable behavior—that affected their relationship with McLaren. But they are so protected by blind trust and affection that no action can be taken against them until it is too late. Eventually, however, some of his victims were able to take back control of McLaren and bring him to justice.
Casanova Conman may be considered supermarket tabloid fodder by some, but he investigates a phenomenon that causes real sacrifice and trauma that is difficult to deal with and overcome.
