Scammer Defrauds Nearly $1M, Buys Wife a 10-Carat Diamond Ring

A New York woman lost nearly $1 million to a Northern Ireland scammer who bought a 10-carat diamond ring. Other victims share similar stories of fraud by the Travelling Conmen, a UK-Irish crime group involved in construction scams.

Victim's Story of a $1 Million Scam

A woman from New York, referred to as Jane to protect her identity, has shared with BBC how she lost nearly one million dollars to a scammer from Northern Ireland. She alleges that the man used the stolen funds to purchase a 10-carat diamond ring for his wife.

Jane identified the perpetrator as a member of The Travelling Conmen, a group of UK and Irish nationals involved in construction scams. This group has been designated by the FBI as a transnational organised crime group.

Jane and other victims spoke to BBC Spotlight about their experiences, including a man who lost $500,000 (£370,971) last year and a woman who lost her son's university fund.

"It's not only humiliating and devastating and shattering – it also just crushes your soul," Jane said.

Jane's ordeal began in autumn 2022 when a man with an Irish accent approached her at her New York home offering construction work. The BBC understands this man to be Darren Cunningham, who was using the alias Patrick Dundon at the time.

The man started doing more work than initially agreed and requested $65,000 (£48,229) for bricks before disappearing. Jane later contacted the brick supplier and obtained an invoice showing the bricks cost only $25,000 (£18,550).

However, the scam escalated a few months later when another man, traced by Spotlight to Northern Ireland through photos provided by Jane, appeared at her door. For legal reasons, he is referred to as Mr Bling.

Jane said,

"He said the work on the driveway will get done, but everything's on hold because there's still this big issue that they have to take care of."

She added,

"He seemed like he was trying to be the responsible business partner."

Despite these assurances, the con continued. Jane alleges Mr Bling requested a $200,000 (£148,391) loan and warned that her children's safety could be at risk if she did not comply.

Jane wrote three cheques with the promise the money would be returned by the following Sunday, but it was never reimbursed.

In an effort to recover her losses, Jane provided additional funds. She said,

"He told me that I had to transfer the money to the parent construction company, Troy Construction. Only last minute did he make the switch and say it's actually going to be another company that's like a front for Troy Construction and then he sent me the information of where I am supposed to send the money to."

In reality, Jane sent the money to a jeweller on 47th Street in New York's Diamond District.

Spotlight's investigation revealed that within days, Mr Bling's family was displaying expensive jewellery on social media, including the 10-carat diamond ring.

TikTok A large diamond ring set sits on a woman's finger, as she has her hand outstretched. It's set in silver, and has smaller diamonds running down the band of the ring. The background of the image is blurred. Above some text says — The 10-carat diamond ring which appeared on social media

Jane described,

"Lots of other jewellery, lots of watches that they all seemed so happy to flaunt."

The BBC contacted Darren Cunningham and Mr Bling regarding Jane's allegations, but neither responded.

Facebook A man with dark hair, a stubble beard and sunglasses is standing beside a red Ferarri car, which has the roof lowered and the door open. He is dressed in smart black shoes with black trousers and a blue shirt, and is wearing a gold watch. The man is giving a thumbs up and is looking at the camera. The car is parked on a street with other vehicles and large red bricked buildings on either side. — Darren Cunningham did not respond to correspondence from the BBC detailing the allegations against him

Other Victims and Legal Actions

The BBC Spotlight programme, The Travelling Conmen, uncovered that other victims were also instructed to send hundreds of thousands of dollars to jewellers in the Diamond District.

Some members of the Travelling Conmen are now imprisoned, including Irish national James Dinnigan, who pleaded guilty to defrauding victims of over $1 million (£741,840) through construction scams.

Ginia Hines A man with short dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard is wearing a white t-shirt. He is standing on a small pathway in the front garden of a home, with another man in work clothing sitting behind him eating. The second man's face is blurred. Cars, a hedge and a small patch of grass are visible in the background. — James Dinnigan pleaded guilty to construction fraud totalling more than $1m in 2025

One victim, Ginia Hines from Connecticut, was persuaded to hand over $50,000 (£37,798) intended for her son's university fund to a man she knew as 'Charlie Ward,' who was actually James Dinnigan.

Hines believes Dinnigan initially gained her trust by pretending to be a Christian, often greeting her with phrases such as,

"How's your day going? Are you having a blessed day? And then the conversations ended with have a blessed day, God bless you."

After ten days of work charged at $5,000 (£3,708) per day, Dinnigan left Hines's property in poor condition.

Hines said,

"They left my yard just a mud pile with all the boulders and rocks that they dug up from around the house. It had no value because they did something I didn't need. It was no value – it was actually a negative."

She told BBC Spotlight,

"(The money) was very important. Single parent, head of household, doing this thing on my own."

Although Dinnigan was jailed, Hines did not recover her lost funds.

A woman with dark hair is standing in a doorway looking directly at the camera. She is wearing a grey sweatshirt which reads 'America' and is wearing large gold hoop earrings and a gold chain. She is standing beside a grey wall, with a brown wooden door and an armchair visible behind her. — Ginia Hines lost $50,000 which she had planned to use for her son's college education

Another Victim's Experience

Michael Berard from Swansea, Massachusetts, reported losing $500,000 (£370,971) to two men who identified themselves as Jack Murphy and George Adams, who have since disappeared.

Berard said,

"These people took the money just as though they were John Dillinger or Billy the Kid. And they're actually worse, cause when a guy points a gun at you, you know what you're up against."

After hiring them for a minor job, they claimed Berard had a crack in his foundation and demanded $15,000 (£11,124) immediately.

Berard, who has struggled with anxiety throughout his life, said the men exploited this by stating,

"Mike, you've got a very big problem here. We need $15,000 right away."

This was only the beginning, as Adams and Murphy convinced Berard he could recover his money by suing the original builder, leading him to pay for unnecessary work.

Berard described the men as,

"Like magicians. They were like Houdini and Copperfield and Blaine all rolled into one. What they said sounded so convincing."

He has been unable to locate the two men since.

A balding man in a navy polo neck t-shirt stands outside his home, which is made of wooden grey slat and has a small white painted porch and garage open. He has a short beard which is turning grey and is wearing glasses which have specks of rain visible. — Michael Berard from Swansea in Massachusetts wrote cheques of up to $50,000 at a time

BBC Spotlight also attempted to contact them but was unsuccessful.

Law Enforcement and Ongoing Investigations

Alongside Dinnigan, other Travelling Conmen members, including Elijah Gavin, who was sentenced in November, are in custody.

Department of Justice Northern Ireland A man in a white t-shirt with a blue polo neck collar is looking directly at the camera. He has dark hair and brown eyes. The man has a short goatee style beard. The background shows some health and safety signage. The rest of the image is blurred. — Elijah Gavin was sentenced to four years in prison at the US District Court in Providence, Rhode Island in 2025

FBI Special Agent Ethan Via, part of the team investigating the Travelling Conmen, told BBC Spotlight,

"Barely a month goes by that I don't get a phone call from someone and they have a new group that's doing it or a new batch of victims."

A man in a dark suit looks to the left of the camera, with his hands clasping in motion. He is wearing a white shirt and blue and black chequered tie. The man has short grey hair and is sitting in an office, with the windows in the background out of focus. — Special Agent Ethan Via is part of the FBI team working on the travelling conmen case

Victim's Reflection

Jane from New York is still processing the experience. She said,

"I can't say I had any control over any of my actions at that period in my life. And literally if someone asked me 'why did you hand over the money?' I just, I don't know. I don't know."