Many con artists and fraudsters will remain in history forever. Charles Ponzi and Bernie Madoff are just two of the most famous. However, the list constantly expands as scams continue to grow. One of today’s famous scammers is John Clifton Davis Davies, aka John Bernard. Will he join scammers’ hall of fame? We don’t know yet. However, we do know this is a versatile and clever scammer. 

John Davies has been defrauding thousands of companies. He focused on technology startups. His illicit profits are estimated at around $30 million. However, the con artist couldn’t calmly enjoy his fortune. Investigations took place regarding him. As a result, his scams came to light.

Nonetheless, the scammer reinvented himself. He continues to operate under a new name – John Cavendish. More so, it appears he has a new company. His new business might be Hempton Business Management LLP. Find out more about this scammer’s new face and endeavors. 

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Who Is John Davis? 

The man was born in the UK. This con artist’s specialty is fraud. He defrauded multiple UK firms throughout the years. He did it through his financial consultancy company. In theory, this company helped businesses with debts. Its purpose should have been minimizing clients’ debts. Nonetheless, Davis didn’t mitigate this problem. Instead, he took the little money these companies had left. After defrauding them, he spent it on a lavish life. He purchased luxury products such as expensive watches. He also bought expensive cars. And he went on vacations to exotic destinations. 

In 2015, Davis was convicted on multiple counts of fraud. Yet, he managed to escape. Before the fraud investigations, he was in prison for 16 months. Nonetheless, for a different reason. He was charged with murdering his wife. 

After the UK authorities caught him, the man fled the country. He took the surname Bernard. Then, he married a Ukrainian woman. Afterward, he moved to Ukraine. 

The Tech Scams

John Davis managed to elude the UK authorities. Then, he started his new life as John Bernard. Supposedly, John Bernard was a successful Swiss investor. More precisely, a billionaire. He claimed he made money over the past two decades thanks to the internet boom. He presented himself as a potential tech investor.

John Bernard targeted companies in this field, promising lavish support. In theory, he had millions of dollars. And he was ready to invest it in promising hi-tech startups. Nonetheless, this wasn’t a no-obligation deal. Those who wanted his help had to pay first. Start-ups had to pay due diligence fees upfront. Their value amounted to thousands of dollars. 

The due diligence company was Inside Knowledge, a Swiss firm. Yet, John Davis owned this company too. So, he took all the start-ups’ money. Then, he simply canceled the deal. However, the due diligence fees were already paid. So, tech companies lost money. And obviously, they got no investment funds in exchange. 

The New Face of John Davis – John Cavendish

Thanks to a broker, John Davis’ new identity and fraudulent attempts might come to light. The man, who remained anonymous, represented some of Davis’ clients in the past. He basically acted as an intermediary finding start-ups for Davis. He unknowingly supported the fraudster. The man believes he’d recently stumbled into John Davis again. 

He participated in a call with several investors. Judging by the voices, one of them was John Davis. Moreover, the broker recognized the investment pattern. The investors insisted they only worked with certain small due diligence firms. They said these are ideal for their needs. Recognizing John’s voice, the man became skeptical. He also spotted several other similitudes. For example, these investors too were looking for deals in the $5-20 million range. 

The company involved in the discussions was Hempton Business Management. This is the firm the new John Davis probably manages now as John Bernard. According to its website, this company has existed since 2017. Nonetheless, its domain name has only been available since 2020. More so, there’s little information on the website. The owner, or manager names, for example, are absent. This sort of information is essential. And legitimate investment companies offer it. Furthermore, the company is registered through a French registrar. It is the same one John Davies used for his previous fraudulent companies. 

Bottom line

Hempton Business Management is a shelf corporation. These types of companies only exist on paper. They are often linked to fraud or money laundering. In real life, the companies aren’t active. They don’t have offices or employees. Moreover, owners can sell shelf companies after a while. Therefore, they appear older after their resale. And this builds trust. An element that’s critical in investment negotiations. One of the main purposes of shelf companies is establishing trust among clients. This is also the key ingredient John Davis leveraged throughout his con artist career. In the future, we will probably discover if John Cavendish was another pseudonym for John Davis.

Post credited to, Clearwater Management.