Rich Kids of Instagram star who flaunted Versace crockery and designer lifestyle admits £200k fraud – including conning his father out of £24,500 for fake Hermès handbags
He called himself the “Kardashian of Cheshire” and lived a life of five-star hotels, designer clothes and luxury cars – all funded by an elaborate web of lies that even ensnared his own father.
Jack Watkin, 26, has finally admitted to being nothing more than a fantasist fraudster who conned family and friends out of nearly £200,000 to bankroll his fake millionaire lifestyle.
The Instagram influencer, who once starred in Channel 4’s Rich Kids of Instagram, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday – with a judge warning him he faces certain jail time.
In perhaps the most shocking betrayal of all, the Alderley Edge con artist defrauded his own father Jason out of £24,500 – money the elder Watkin never saw again while watching his son “spending lavishly on his lifestyle” all over social media.
The £100,000 Dorchester Spree
Police revealed the scale of Watkin’s outrageous spending, including racking up a bill of more than £100,000 at The Dorchester – one of London’s most exclusive hotels on Park Lane.
The fake millionaire was a regular at Harrods, where he even conned one of the department store’s own barmen, Andor Farkas, out of £14,000. The unsuspecting employee had believed Watkin was genuinely wealthy after seeing him splash cash around the luxury store.
Detective Constable Gareth Yates didn’t mince words about the fraudster’s delusions: “Watkin’s deluded himself that he was a successful rich kid influencer, but in reality, he was stealing money from wealthy individuals under the guise of ‘business opportunities’ to fund his expensive habit of fast cars, luxury goods, including Versace crockery, and designer footwear and clothing.”
The Hermès Handbag Scam
Watkin’s primary con revolved around exclusive Hermès handbags – the holy grail of luxury accessories that can only be purchased by invitation and often resell for astronomical profits.
He convinced victims he had a personal relationship with the director of Hermès and could source the coveted bags at retail prices. The exclusivity of these bags, which can resell for far more than their original price, made the investment opportunity seem irresistible.
His biggest victim was friend Hannah Jakes, who he defrauded of an eye-watering £98,500. Christine Colbert, owner of boutique Dress Cheshire, lost £43,800 to the scammer.
Speaking outside court, a devastated Ms Colbert said: “I have been hugely betrayed. I have absolutely no idea what is in his mind and what he thought. I don’t think he’s worked a day in his life. He’s rewritten history in his own mind and that’s a fantasy world that he lives in.”
Instagram Fame to Criminal Shame
Watkin had built his entire persona on Instagram, where DC Yates said “if anyone was to look at that profile, you would see fancy hotels, luxury cars, designer clothing.”
“He created a following,” the detective explained. “As a result of that he then gets notoriety, from an Instagram perspective, followers, people. People follow him with the desire to be him.”
“He often described himself as the Kardashian of Cheshire. What my understanding from that would be is that he is an individual of wealth and has the ability to purchase wealthy items.”
But it was all smoke and mirrors. Prosecutor Matthew Kerruish-Jones told the court: “The defendant put forward the outward facade of a glamorous and luxurious lifestyle. This, it seems, engendered trust and led a number of individuals to loan him large sums of money on the promise of either a financial return or luxury items. Neither of which materialised.”
Years of Deception
The scale and duration of Watkin’s deception was staggering. Senior crown prosecutor Laura Atherton noted: “Some of these frauds span several years, and so clearly, to be able to convince an individual for that length of time that you are going to repay money and you are going to provide goods, you have to be an incredibly convincing individual.”
Victims included:
- Hannah Jakes: £98,500
- Christine Colbert: £43,800
- Jason Watkin (his father): £24,500
- James Irlam: £13,000+
- Andor Farkas: £14,000
- Naheem Akhtar: £840 (for Loro Piana shoes that never arrived)
The Unravelling
Watkin’s fantasy world began to crumble when a woman who had inadvertently paid for his luxury hotel bill contacted the Metropolitan Police in 2022 after becoming suspicious of his continued excuses.
The case was referred to Cheshire Constabulary’s Economic Crime Unit, whose investigation uncovered the breathtaking scale of luxury goods and hotel bills Watkin had afforded by swindling his victims.
During the investigation, detectives also discovered indecent images on his mobile phone. He was convicted earlier this year of nine offences related to indecent images, extreme pornography and prohibited images.
Prison Awaits
Judge Simon Berkson left Watkin in no doubt about his fate, telling him: “You have today pleaded guilty to a number of charges of fraud. Those charges are serious and involve a significant amount of loss to victims of your fraud. There’s no doubt only one sentence must follow from those guilty pleas.”
Watkin has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on September 3 for both the fraud and indecent images offences.
DC Yates summed up the inevitable conclusion: “It was never going to end well, and his downfall was inevitable. Eventually his lies caught up with him and he is now facing the consequences of his deceit, and his perversions.”
The man who once portrayed himself as Cheshire’s answer to Kim Kardashian will soon be swapping designer clothes for a prison uniform – a fitting end to a life built entirely on lies, luxury and other people’s mo
