Con artist posing as actor Colin Firth scammed three sisters out of thousands of pounds
A CON artist posing as actor Colin Firth has scammed three sisters out of thousands of pounds.
The trickster is said to resemble the Pride and Prejudice star on video calls and mimicked his posh accent.
The scam began in May when an Italian woman was contacted by the supposed “Mr Firth” after he saw her pictures on social media.
Her two sisters were also fooled by him and soon all three were eagerly replying to his messages.
He told the trio from Vicenza that he wanted to create a website which needed financial support.
The trickster then received a total of 3,300 euros (£2,832) from them in three separate bank transfers.
The man, becoming increasingly confident, soon decided to up the stakes.
He told them he had bought them a car each as a gift but the only problem was that the vehicles were stuck with the US customs.
To allow them to be shipped on to Europe, the women had to pay 21,000 euros (£18,025).
The scammer reportedly said that the money had to be transferred into his bank account and that he would settle the problem.
The sisters agreed again but luckily their bank became suspicious of the transactions.
It ran a check on the account where the money was sent, and discovered it had featured on a blacklist.
The police have started an investigation to discover the scammer's identity.
It is unclear if the three sisters, who have not been named, have recovered any of their money.
The real Colin Firth was married to an Italian woman, Livia Giuggioli, until 2019.
The couple have two sons.