- Karen Crear trusted her twin sister Coleen’s fiancé, Greg Wilson, who posed as firefighter ‘James Scott’ and claimed he had millions to invest in a luxury hotel business
- Karen invested $103,500 before she and her husband uncovered a web of lies
- Wilson was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple fraud and forgery offences
- Karen and Coleen later turned their experience into the book Playing With Fire and the Love Bombed podcast
Here Karen Crear, 53, shares her own story in her own words
‘Check this guy out,’ my twin sister Coleen, 41, gushed, showing me her online dating match.
The profile showed a blonde man with a cheeky smile.
Firefighter J. 34 years old, his profile read.
It was September 2014, and Coleen, mum to Laura, then 13, and Katie, 11, was ready to date again after splitting from her husband of 18 years.
Her new suitor, James Scott, was divorced with two daughters, like Coleen.
‘I’m happy for you,’ I said.
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Six weeks into them dating, my fiancé Ryan, then 36, and I met them at the pub. It was easy to see why Col was smitten. James was confident, charming and shared stories of his heroics.
‘I jumped from the window of a burning building holding a young child. I broke my back, but the boy’s alive,’ he regaled.
He seemed like a good sort and doted on my sister. So I was sold. Laura, Katie, and my daughter Emily, 16, liked him too.
Then in July 2015, Coleen found out she was pregnant, despite James having had a vasectomy just months earlier. He claimed it was their little miracle.
And, at Christmas, there was more happy news.
‘We’re getting married!’ Coleen cried, showing off her diamond ring.
James had planned everything, with the date set for December 2016 at a lavish hall.
In February 2016, they welcomed their boy Charlie at 36 weeks. Born with weakened lungs, he needed care in the NICU.
Coleen also suffered complications but, after a week in hospital, the family came home.
Around that time, James and I discovered a shared a passion for entrepreneurship. I worked in property management, and James shared his plans to build a boutique hotel in Newcastle’s Quayside, near where we lived.
‘I can’t be a firefighter forever. I’d love to get into property development,’ he said explaining his mother had left him millions.
Intrigued, I saw a chance to build something of my own. He showed me his account with $4.8 million, so I had no reason not to trust him. I asked if I could invest, and he agreed.
With Ryan’s support, I transferred $47,000 from my savings for the hotel project, then another $9500 as a contingency fund.
Over the following months, I invested a further $47,000 in the business. James claimed that through his connections he’d secured celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to put his name to the restaurant and singer Sam Smith to perform at the opening.
We had websites built, and began advertising the business on social media and radio.
It felt like all my dreams were coming true.
Then, in October 2016, James said he had testicular cancer. The wedding was put on hold.
‘We’re all here for you, James,’ I promised.
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In November, he said his doctor revealed it was a false alarm.
Elated, the wedding was back on for February 2017.
In December 2016 with my family’s support, I left my job to fully commit to our plan. While we built up the business, James paid me around $570 a month, meaning we lived off Ryan’s earnings while waiting for the business to turn a profit.
But while my family lived frugally, James didn’t.
He bought Coleen a brand-new car and took her to fancy restaurants.
Everything was great, until James heard from his ex-wife in the US. ‘She won’t let the girls come to the wedding,’ he told us.
‘I can’t stand the thought of going ahead without them,’ he said woefully.
Coleen was crushed.
But a seed of doubt about James’ intentions had crept into my head.
If I’m wrong, she’ll never forgive me, I thought
So I only told Ryan, and we did some sleuthing, contacting the wedding venue, checking the public database for registered businesses and calling the fire station. The
venue had no booking, the businesses didn’t exist and the fire station had never heard of James.
All the emails from our manager and accountant were fake.
On February 17, we called Coleen, who was on her way home from the shops with James and Charlie. ‘Everything he’s said is a lie,’ I told her. ‘And he’s stolen all my money. We’re coming to your house now.’
The second Coleen and Charlie were out of the car, James sped off from their home. Just 30 seconds later, Ryan and I skidded into the driveway.
Coleen stood frozen with shock, shopping bags lying at Coleen’s feet.
‘I’m here. You’re okay,’ I hugged my sister.
Next, Ryan and I contacted the police. We learned James’ real name was Greg Wilson – and we weren’t his only victims.
He’d duped numerous others, including local businesses.
I couldn’t believe I’d invested $103,500 in a fake property business.
The cancer was hogwash. The bank statements were forged. The vasectomy never happened. He was still married to the woman he claimed was his ex. She lived just 50km away, with their three children, not overseas as he’d told us.
His firefighter uniform, which he’d come home in, still smelling of smoke, was bought on eBay.
His ‘overnight shifts’ he actually spent at home with his other family.
Each blow hit harder than the last.I was heartbroken and angry for my beloved sister to be duped like this.
Coleen repeatedly told me how sorry she was for bringing ‘James’ into our lives, but I never blamed her.
‘He tricked us both,’ I said.
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In February 2020, aged 46, I filed for bankruptcy. I had no savings and no job.
My daughter, Emily, 22, was devastated when she learned the truth too.
‘How could he do that, Mum?’ she said, appalled at his web of lies.
After a two-year investigation, Greg Wilson, 39, was arrested.
In April 2020, he faced Newcastle Crown Court, in the UK, via Zoom, pleading guilty to eight counts of fraud, two of forgery, and one each of converting criminal property and making a false statement about a birth.
Judge James Adkin said the ‘sophisticated fraud had caused huge damage’ and that Wilson showed ‘jaw-dropping arrogance and cruelty’.
He was sentenced to six years in prison.
He was also ordered to pay Col and me back $68,000 from his military pension, having previously served in the army. But we’ve yet to receive it all.
With Wilson behind bars, we tried to pick up the pieces of our lives.
That September I was diagnosed with stage three kidney cancer. And the following month my right kidney was removed.
Then, in May 2021, another tumour was found on one of my parathyroid glands, also requiring surgery.
Coleen, Ryan, and Emily were at my side every step of the way.
I was given the all-clear on my kidney cancer last October and still have monitoring on my parathyroid glands.
It’s been awful, but fighting for my life has given me permission to chase my dream of becoming a writer.
Coleen and I have now turned our awful experience into a book called Playing With Fire.
We’ve sold more than 10,000 copies and also launched a number-one true-crime podcast called Love Bombed.
We’ve turned our pain into power, and are teaching other women the red flags to look for in relationships.
Donating a significant portion of the profits from our book to Newcastle Women’s Aid, we have raised around $20,000 for charity.
It means something good has come out of what Wilson did.
Today, I’ve made peace with what happened.
I lost everything because of Wilson’s lies, and then nearly lost my life in the aftermath.
But I’m still here.
The experience has taught me that family is what really matters.
And that’s something no-one can take from me.
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