The Inside Knowledge

October 7, 2020

Promising Infusions of Cash, Fake Investor John Bernard Walked Away With $30M

This post was originally published on this siteSeptember featured two stories on a phony tech investor named John Bernard, a pseudonym used by a convicted thief named John Clifton Davies who’s fleeced dozens of technology companies out of an estimated $30 million with the promise of lucrative investments. Those stories prompted a flood of tips from Davies’ victims that paint a much clearer picture of this serial con man and his cohorts, including allegations of hacking, smuggling, bank fraud and murder. KrebsOnSecurity interviewed more than a dozen of Davies’ victims over the past five years, none of whom wished to […]
August 14, 2023

Diligere, Equity-Invest Are New Firms of U.K. Con Man

This post was originally published on this siteJohn Clifton Davies, a convicted fraudster estimated to have bilked dozens of technology startups out of more than $30 million through phony investment schemes, has a brand new pair of scam companies that are busy dashing startup dreams: A fake investment firm called Equity-Invest[.]ch, and Diligere[.]co.uk, a scam due diligence company that Equity-Invest insists all investment partners use. A native of the United Kingdom, Mr. Davies absconded from justice before being convicted on multiple counts of fraud in 2015. Prior to his conviction, Davies served 16 months in jail before being cleared on […]