Assuming the identity of the man who penned ‘How to Lose Friends and Alienate People’ does not sound an enticing prospect – to be successful or to make money.
But one fraudster disagrees: he has tried to cash in on the publicity generated by its author – Toby Young, the freelance journalist and broadcaster, to swindle thousands.
Disclosures seen by a national paper claim the fraudster, posing as Young, has approached several luxury jewellers asking for samples for a feature he is writing.
By saying the article is for Tatler, the conman’s scam rests on the idea that jewellers will supply their high value watches, or trinkets, to appeal to the style bible’s readers.
Emails to all fashion PR firms warning that the journalist Toby Young has not been commissioned to write anything for its pages have now been sent by the magazine.
However, the chances of a jeweller actually falling for the scam seem remote, Mr Young hinted to the Mail on Sunday, not least because of his distinctive appearance.
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“The fraudster in question can’t be very bright,” he said. “I would have thought he’d have more success posing as Geordie Greig, the editor of Tatler or GQ’s editor Dylan Jones.”
The regular Radio 4 contributor also appeared to question whether his name – recently known for his book spelling out personal disasters in the US – would hold enough clout.
“I can’t imagine a luxury watch brand would even consider lending me any of their watches, let alone a fraudster,” he mused. “He may have had a hard time mimicking my appearance.”
Our thanks to Toby Young for the image.
Nov 3, 2008
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