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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask who is the biggest grifter you've seen?

594 replies

2025ohdear · 20/02/2025 16:41

I remember Anthea Turner punting flakes at her wedding. Carol Vorderman was always quick to front a financial product. Just seen Carole Malone on my timeline oiling on about weight loss jabs.

Any others spring to mind?

OP posts:
FroddyLoop · 20/02/2025 19:36

MinistryofThyme · 20/02/2025 19:17

Can’t believe no one’s said that ‘hero plumber’ DEEFER CIC yet.

Definitely agree re Tony H’s parents, JoMo the bekimonoed fox killer, Jack Monroe, and that horror Hannah Ingram Moore.

Omg I forgot about the depher stuff. He was a bad one. I think some people still give the idiot money.

Spidey66 · 20/02/2025 19:36

Aww I've got a massive soft spot for Stacey Solomon, ever since IACGMOOH. I think she's funny and likeable. I like Joe Swash too.

TheWombatleague · 20/02/2025 19:36

Trump, by a country mile. President of the most powerful country on the planet and spends his time hawking tat on Truth Social and to his subscribers list. From Bibles, Guitars, Crypto, Assassination Attempt Cologne, trainers to places on his "special council of advisors" for 40 dollars. He's a compulsive grifter.

FizzingAda · 20/02/2025 19:35

The Royals.

Clarabell77 · 20/02/2025 19:31

Another one - Michelle Mone

MayaKovskaya · 20/02/2025 19:30

ElsaLion · 20/02/2025 19:29

Word from the top suggested it was widely known that they were having an affair at the time of Truss's leadership.

Oh dear lord 😲, no!
Pass me the brain bleach!

ElsaLion · 20/02/2025 19:29

MayaKovskaya · 20/02/2025 19:27

Liz Truss
Kwasi Kwarteng
How much damage did they do to the economy in their illustrious partnership which lasted, what, about a fortnight?

Edited

Word from the top suggested it was widely known that they were having an affair at the time of Truss's leadership.

SerafinasGoose · 20/02/2025 19:29

weareladyparts · 20/02/2025 19:11

Agree with both of these and there's a domestic abuse charity in Cheshire currently giving them a run for their money allegedly.

Yes. Now I see why no self-respecting academic publisher will touch Taylor, albeit she framed that as an ethical stance borne of her disgust at their paywalls and large library-monograph costs.

It's more likely because her 'professional' ethics are so dubious as to be non-existent and no university ethics committee would clear them past first base.

The lying and doubling down afterwards was something to behold. I've witnessed some shoddy conduct in my time but this was the pits.

Clarabell77 · 20/02/2025 19:28

The Royal family.

penguinbiscuity · 20/02/2025 19:27

labtest57 · 20/02/2025 18:07

Jack Munroe, and Jessica Taylor. Both grifters and pathological liars.

Agree with this

MayaKovskaya · 20/02/2025 19:27

Liz Truss
Kwasi Kwarteng
How much damage did they do to the economy in their illustrious partnership which lasted, what, about a fortnight?

fetchacloth · 20/02/2025 19:26

Backupnorth · 20/02/2025 17:10

That bloody captain Toms daughter
the scrounger!!!

Oh yes, definitely her.

caringcarer · 20/02/2025 19:26

Iloveyoubut · 20/02/2025 18:04

I agree. I’m not a fan, but he’s far from lacking in intelligence.

The master of free handouts is Starmer. He got £13,000 of freebies. Football hospitality tickets at Arsenal and other clubs, clothes, glasses, clothes for his wife, a penthouse break and let's not forget the tickets to Taylor Swift.

sternocleidomastoid · 20/02/2025 19:26

Boris is playing a double bluff.
He's an idiot, pretending to be a smart guy, pretending to be an idiot.
Unfortunately peppering your speeches with a few latin or greek phrases is what used to pass for sophistication in this country and is therefore taken as evidence that he's actually a smart guy.
You only have to read the COVID enquiries evidence and in particular Patrick Vallance's description of what it was like to try to explain epidemiology and vaccination science to a thick toff who had last studied science aged 15 to know how well that equips someone to make critical decisions in the modern world.

penguinbiscuity · 20/02/2025 19:25

Kellie Jay Keen Minshall AKA Posie Parker.

The GC version of Nigel Farage.

And, her fundraising is dodgy as fuck, she's blatantly spending the money on funding her lifestyle, but she manages to garner such loyalty in her fanbase they seem to think it's absolutely fine to spend donations raised for a cause on your mortgage / business class / personalised number plates / whatever the fuck she pleases.

She raised thousands for a new refuge, never happened, the last I heard she'd still not accounted for a significant chunk of the money.

I could go on....

Total grifter, always had been, I think people are starting to see it though.

Butchyrestingface · 20/02/2025 19:25

Going back a fair bit admittedly, but I raise you Dundee's very own William McGonagall, famed as the world's worst poet and "so giftedly bad he backed unwittingly into genius." Supposedly it was all a ruse to make money.

"Beautiful railway bridge of the silv'ry Tay
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away"

sternocleidomastoid · 20/02/2025 19:21

In this country, Boris Johnson must be near the top of the list - supported brexit purely to enhance his career, to the impoverishment of all of us. Shamelessly plugged everything that would make him a quick buck, from his shitty books to his latest wheeze which is £121 to have a selfie taken with him.
He has no shame and there is nothing he will not stoop to.

Mind you, I have to say I have been thoroughly disappointed with Rachel Reeves - both the lies and embellishments on the CV, and the thousands in freebies she accepted. I'll be paying thousand more in tax which I have no confidence will go where it's needed. So Grifter seems a fair enough description.

notprincehamlet · 20/02/2025 19:21

I think Boris Johnson is actually incredibly smart
He's rich, posh and well-connected but he couldn't find his own arse with both hands.

caringcarer · 20/02/2025 19:21

Backupnorth · 20/02/2025 17:10

That bloody captain Toms daughter
the scrounger!!!

I thought of her too but couldn't remember her name. Dreadful grifter.

DrudgeJedd · 20/02/2025 19:20

Marylou2 · 20/02/2025 19:06

Was he the one who murdered a fox while wearing a kimono?

Yup, fascinating character.

Apricot plops to all Jolyon watchers out there

AlteredStater · 20/02/2025 19:18

'Dr' John Campell, that online grifter who has spread so much misinformation and cashed in on it!!!

Nothatgingerpirate · 20/02/2025 19:18

Duchess of Sussex.

BustingBaoBun · 20/02/2025 19:17

The Royal Family
Michelle Mone
Hannah Ingram Moore

A woman who has set up an organisation to enrol clever career women (who are obviously vulnerable in some way) with a load of twaddle, like they are there to evolve the human race and they have a higher purpose in life. it's a cult. So bad they give their money to her scam and some have even changed their Wills in favour of the organisation. Can't say who in case I'm sued. But it's bad, very bad.

MinistryofThyme · 20/02/2025 19:17

Can’t believe no one’s said that ‘hero plumber’ DEEFER CIC yet.

Definitely agree re Tony H’s parents, JoMo the bekimonoed fox killer, Jack Monroe, and that horror Hannah Ingram Moore.

Vinorosso74 · 20/02/2025 19:16

The Royal Family, all of them.
Farage.
I'm not sure about some of these "reality stars", they do at least have to show up to things to be paid but if people weren't interested they they wouldn't be getting paid?