The family of a motorbiker who died in a crash has warned potential victims to avoid serial fraudster Anthony Adams at all costs. Adams convinced them he was the dead man's best friend and even served as a pallbearer at his funeral.
Deception Unravels
Adams told Margaret Crawford that her son Josh had revealed in his last hours that he was to be a dad – but that was also made up. The lies unravelled, and Adams received a six-month prison sentence in 2024. The sheriff told him: “The alarm and distress you caused to the family is unimaginable.”
The Daily Record has reported on a torrent of scams by the Ayrshire-based trickster, who has posed as a doctor, a Celtic FC scout, and a private ambulance entrepreneur. Last month, it was revealed he is seeking work as an exorcist.
Family Speaks Out
Josh's family decided to speak out after finding out Adams is still operating in the community. Margaret, 60, and her daughter Afton, 34, relived the “surreal” and appalling interactions after encountering him in a corridor at Crosshouse Hospital, where he was posing as a doctor.
Margaret said: “The way this man treated us was beyond the comprehension of most people and we are still scarred by the contact we had with him. Anyone reading this should take a good look at his face and avoid at all costs because this guy cannot stop his mad boasting and tall tales. The lies he spun to us were cruel and nasty. There are always victims when he gets his hooks into people.”
Exploiting Grief
Margaret said she had to become a sleuth like “Miss Marple” to uncover Adams' deceptions. Adams introduced himself at a vulnerable moment, claiming he remembered staying at their house and climbed on scaffolding. He also mentioned home dinners, but Margaret said her son was a picky eater and she didn't remember him.
Adams gained knowledge about Josh's accident because his own mother had been a paramedic who attended when Josh was thrown from his motorbike in front of Margaret's house in June 2022. He died in hospital four days later.
Adams told Margaret Josh's last words were: “Please don't let me die because I'm going to be a dad again.” Josh had actually told Margaret: “I love you, Mum.” The family were sent into a spin seeking answers to the baby hoax.
Callous Acts
Adams made a callous appearance at Josh's funeral and failed to hand over £2,000 he'd raised for the family, claiming he had monkeypox and was in quarantine. Margaret said: “You couldn't make up what this man did to us but by the time he got jailed he couldn't even look at us. We were very relieved when he got a jail sentence because after we'd rumbled him he totally changed and got all defiant. He sent me a message saying he'd never get jail because he had a personality disorder and that allowed him to get off with it before.”
Afton added: “It's hard to believe we believed anything he said but you have to see this guy in action. He's utterly shameless, a cold-blooded, compulsive liar.”
