SERIAL con artist Matthew Five has been accused of destroying a long-term marriage of a couple and then going on to stay with the woman and her three kids.
Interestingly, the couple’s eldest child, who is 26, is just five years younger than Matthew.
H-Metro reported yesterday that Matthew was a specialist in fooling his victims and, usually, there was a promise that he will marry them.
Of course, the majority of the promises have been FAKE.
After we published our story yesterday, a number of people came forward to claim that they were also deceived by Matthew who appears to have turned himself into a specialist in his field.
It emerged yesterday that Matthew LIED to a number of people that:
• He was a medical doctor when he was just a serial scammer and fraudster who defrauded his girlfriend’s brother of US$11,000 under the guise of a fake Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
• He studied medicine at the university of South Africa and University of Malawi and wooed many people with fake promises of securing them jobs in Morocco and other parts of the world.
• He was coming for a lobola ceremony and a family gathered waiting for their in-law, whom they assumed was a medical doctor, only for them to be hit by the reality that he wasn’t a doctor and the whole set-up was fake. The family ended up calling off the ceremony.
• He had created an organisation around 2020 and 2021, recruited health care workers and did some trainings claiming he was working for WHO and COCA-COLA in their Covid-19 vaccination programmes.
• He was offered a job by Coca-Cola to work as a clinical director based in Kenya and then duped scores of people with fake claims that they had been offered jobs to work for Coca-Cola at its headquarters in Atlanta, United States.
Pauline Butau said:
“Matthew! Rimwe gore vanhu vakapfeka majava vachinzi mukuwasha doctor is coming, mukwasha didn’t come and we realised he is a scam. Can’t believe he is still at it.”
Shamiso Nzombe said:
“This person is dangerous, he created an organisation around 2020 and 2021, recruited health care workers, doctors and nurses, lab scientists and nurse aides.
“Did trainings lying that he is working with WHO and Coca-Cola for COVID-19 vaccinations. After a month we queried the delays in the programme, we decided to email WHO and Coca-Cola.
“We were told that Coca-Cola and WHO did not know him or his organisation, we reported him to the police, after a few days the web of the organisation vanished and he also ran away.”
H-Metro learnt yesterday that a couple’s marriage collapsed and the husband is blaming Matthew for their divorce.
He said the challenges between him and his wife started when she joined Matthew’s organisation and the corn artist is now living with his ex-wife and his kids in Aspindale Park.
Matthew told one of his girlfriend that she would be given US$8,000 to blow away at a weekend retreat in Zanzibar.
Of course, it was all fake.
The other one was told she would be loved until “Jesus returns.”
He usually pretended that he was in the United States and uses an American mobile number.
Here are some of his messages to them.
On November 27, 2024, he texted one of the women:
“I want to marry you because you’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of and so much more, my safe haven, my greatest adventure and my best friend. With you, every moment feels like home and I see a future filled with love, laughter and endless growth together.
“You’re the one I want to wake up next to, dream with and build a beautiful life alongside. I love you because you light my world in ways no one else can.
“Your kindness, strength and beauty inspires me every single day and, with you, I’ve found my forever. You complete me in every way and I can’t wait to spend a lifetime proving how much you mean to me. I love you.”
Some of the women claim they were defrauded during the course of their romance.
Mathew, who allegedly assumed a fake identity as Desmond Phiri, claimed he was an American-based medical doctor and promised some of the women that he was going to marry them.
The victims include a disabled woman who narrated her ordeal to H-Metro.
“We met on Tinder (the world’s most popular dating app), then in person when he said he was relocating to America and would often send pictures, live locations in the US, and he also said he had a farm,” she said.
“He started saying he was having problems which needed money, and at one time asked for money, saying his daughter was admitted to a hospital after a stroke.
“He introduced me to a so-called cousin, they would ask for money, telling me they had no groceries and so forth.
“He told me he was divorced and wants to marry me in February and would ask for my ID, saying he wants to book a court marriage date. I lost over a thousand dollars until he just went quiet.”
Her story is just one of many similar tales.
Contacted for comment, Matthew dismissed the allegations and claimed they were all coming from one girl, whom he named as Nyasha.
“I have made a payment plan to reimburse her money,” he said.
“Yes, I am married, and I am not in the country. Those women are telling lies. I asked them to remove those comments, it’s all lies.
“My lawyer will get back to you. Those uniforms were part of the nurse-aid programmes I was doing. Mathew’s father, Mateyu Five, said he became aware of the story after a girl arrived at his house in Kuwadzana 5 looking for his son.
“Yes, there is one who came here looking for my son and told me about these dating issues. I have no contact with my son because he reaches out when he wants to.
“I have nothing to say about this, the women must speak to my son, not me, my house is just the place where he was raised.”
Source: H-Metro
