Someone I talk to quite frequently online claims to be a successful investment banker with a multi-million pound property portfolio and who earns hundreds of thousands per annum (who also happens to live in a flat above a betting shop)

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My gut instinct is that truly rich people would never boast about their 'multi-million pound' property portfolio online or that it would be so easy to find out where they live. He literally shared a video of his new home plus location (Camden), plus its quite easy to search on companies house). Plus when you look at his linkedin, he seems to be doing sales/marketing rather than investment banking.

In fact his latest comment to someone who posted is ''i'm working on several long term projects with my current employer that if I manage to pull it off, within the next 5-8 years, I expect to earn an 8-figure sum for my role in brokering this deal and the first figure won't be a 1. I know life is grim and tough, that's why I'm so busy making more money rather than bitching about how the NHS isn't good enough. I'm off to Dubai to negotiate some deals in November, I'm flying business and being put up in one of those ludicrously expensive hotels in Dubai that's totally over the top. I make sure I take care of myself by being rich, I suggest you try that too since you're just as aware as I am for the need to become rich.'

I know it should bother me less but he is honestly quite rude about people less fortunate than him and frankly quite boastful. There are times when he boasts about he lives in a luxurious house and people who are familiar with the london property market have pointed out that flat above betting shop isn't really considered a 'luxury home'; not that there is anything wrong with such; its just not somewhere you tend to imagine multi-millionaires living in even in London as its a far cry from penthouse apartment in Kensington (which is what i imagine multi-millionaires would opt for if they prefer apartment living). However, he keeps insisting that he is so incredibly rich. I know that a lot of mumsnetters probably do invent fantasy lives but why does he do it AND also share his real life identity so people with some Googling skills can see through it. I am guessing if he wants to keep his privacy, he wouldn't share his real life name and photos of himself and vlogs! And if his life is real, well does it sound really likely to you?

I am not sure why it bothers me, but I guess its because I have engaged with him and i can see the inconsistencies; so the thoughts don't go away? Plus I guess he assumes when I point out the inconsistencies that I must have a 'working class mindset' and I must be poor, so i guess him being insulting is getting to me (even though it shouldn't!)

Oh and he isn't a troll, i am quite sure of that.

Dare I state the obvious: my flat is probably at least twice the size of yours, if not more than that given that it is spread over 3 floors (that's right, 3 floors, I get a lot of exercise walking up and down those stairs)

He’s an arse too. Have you given him any money, or paid for any of his services?

I think where you’re going wrong is you still believe some of the things he’s saying, so you keep responding with “yeah, but”.

you need to realise that EVERYTHING he’s saying is bollocks. Not just the finances, the money, but flats, background, family, absolutely everything.

He isn't selling anything! Lol.

the background and family are not fake. I come from the same country that he does and i can verify that. What is dubious is his life in London! Thats when it all falls apart. On the face of it, he definitely did go to a good school, went to a good university in the 1990s and got a job in sales and marketing. I can believe based on my DH's mum's experiences in the London property market that you can definitely buy an ex council flat in z1 on a single professional income in the early 2000s, esp if that income was halfway decent . That would have paved the way to remortgage and buy subsequent properties, esp as he also has a partner (who is well educated). That part, i believe. But that doesn't make him a multimillionaire as I know so many older londoners who were lucky in the property game that way.

The millions earned in commission from deals is BS.

There is a name for this kind of behaviour, let me think.......oh yes Walter Mitty Syndrome
I think you might find , should you ever meet him, that he actually works in the betting shop downstairs 🤔 🤣🤣

How on earth do you know his background, education and family are not fake? Just because you come from the same country doesn't mean anything. I could choose the details of a well-known family in this country, do lots of searching on their publicly available information and set myself up as a cousin or sibling online. Just because he says he went to particular schools and universities doesn't mean he actually did! With a bit of effort I could build a very convincing case for being a 30-year-old man who went to Eton and Oxford instead of the fortysomething-year-old woman I actually am!

Is his name Walter?

in all fairness and i checked, betting shop has closed, its now a convenience store!

Why are you indulging him? He may simply have lifted the back story and his other followers be sock puppets. The name may be genuine for someone else but he is assuming that persona. Whether for sinister purposes or to fulfil some attention seeking need who knows, or cares. Continuing to follow him while expressing such scepticism is odd.

Stop reading it. It’s clearly bollocks and there is nothing to be gained from reading it.

Maybe he's been reading some bullshit about 'manifesting'. He probably thinks that if he talks about his immense wealth enough, it'll magically become true.

Tell him you’ve met a billionaire and you’re off for a 3 month, around the world trip so you’ll be off grid. Then block him.

the whole reason i found him was because he was featured on a fairly popular third party website (the kind that talk about travel, food, entertainment with some light new) as a writer. It had this whole bio on it (but in the past, it just said he worked in finance/sales which is a lot more generic), but websites like that probably don't do any background checks on their writers?

urgh, the reason why i started reading his blog as a young university student was because I thought, hey this is someone from my country who managed to have a good life in London. Its a bit sad if its all a lie...

OP....I think you need to psychoanalyze yourself and why you are so invested in this person.

FWIW, I think he started to do these blogs and the attention went to his head, and he likes feeling idolized and exaggerates his success in order to get more adulation.

Just block, ignore, learn from it, move on. Don't feed his need for attention.

“I know this bit is true because he wrote it on another website”

OP, step back here. Apply some critical thinking.

it’s all total bollocks.

OP I don't understand why this matters to you.

If you've been to Tenerife, he's been to Elevenerife kind of person. Take everything he says with a pinch of salt. If he's happy telling these tales, and they're not actually harming anyone, I'd let him get on with it.

What is the appeal even? Why do you want to talk to this person?

He sounds embarrassing, unpleasant and not particularly broad or worldly in anything he is thinking or doing so the conversation sounds like it also would be dull and not particularly mind expanding if you wish to talk politics. He's just a fantasist OP, and clearly a sad twat to boot. I can't really see what positives someone like this could contribute to any friendship you might have.

The private wealth 'like Rishi' comment made me laugh though, such grasping nonsense from somebody that has clearly got away with lying for so long without being called out that he actually at this point thinks it is believable.

Just because his literal identity (name, address) is who he says he is doesn't make any other thing true. You can write anything you like online anywhere, including on linkedin. It seems like there is an extent you want or need this to be true OP but you would be far better off finding other people to talk to, of course there are people out there who have successful lives or can be looked up to for their achievements or who they are as a person- this joker isn't one of them.

He may be reflecting aspects of what he sees around him and claiming bits for himself.

Quite a few people working in the City own more than one property eg when a couple get together and they both had flats. We have several but I would never describe myself as a property anything other than a landlord. If he is a huge property magnate why is he still working.

Nobody I know posts that much detail about their job. It’s potentially a sackable offence and would create concerns from clients/customers that their information was not being kept confidential.

He's a liar clearly! So ridiculous

Look, if you enjoy reading about his exploits/fantasies carry on, as long as you're clear that it is that. I follow an arsehole on Instagram - I'm friends with his ex-wife and knew them as a couple. I find it endlessly amusing that following their divorce (he cheated) he is going on about his spiritual development and yoga practice when he is by all accounts broke, unemployed and alienated from his family. The contrast between his head and reality is really entertaining.

If you enjoy it like that, fine. But the only answer to the "But how can he-?" type questions is that he can't, and it's BS.

Quite. Who exactly is the bullshitter here, MN? Shall we apply some critical thinking.

I was privately messaging one of his other readers (young female in her 20s who is always asking his advice) and she believes him despite the inconsistencies? Like she says he seems to make a decent living from finance while he is not rishi sunak rich...And she regards anyone who works in finance as a 'banker'. And he is regular person just like lots of 'successful' people.

None of this makes sense, but why doesn't it make a difference to her? Surely it must really mess up someone's head believing this kind of stuff despite dubious evidence.