Sugar daddy fraudster: Nektario Zafiratos aka "John Samios" sentenced for fraud charges
A serial conman who posed as a Greek businessman on a popular sugar daddy website to exploit a “revolving door” of vulnerable women might be still on the loose had it not been for a victim-led national manhunt via Facebook.
South East
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A sugar daddy fraudster who posed as a Greek businessman to rort several “vulnerable” women blew his stolen cash on cocaine and gambling at Crown casino.
Nektario Zafiratos, 48, was sentenced in the County Court on April 2 to 20 months’ jail after pleading guilty to several fraud charges.
Zafiratos, posing as “John Samios”, targeted numerous Melbourne women via sugar daddy website “Seeking Arrangements” between March and June, 2018.
The serial conman fooled his victims into believing he was a successful Greek businessman going through a divorce.
In reality, Zafiratos was a broke narcissist who needed cash for cocaine and gambling, the court heard.
Zafiratos spun victims the same lie how his wife had frozen his bank accounts and he needed cash and iPhones to keep the business running.
The Casanova conman fleeced $45,000 from his five victims.
Zafiratos netted more than $15,000 through brand new iPhones victims bought for him at Telstra, Optus and Vodafone stores at Southland, South Melbourne and Highpoint.
He also pocketed $20,500 through cash loans and rinsed $5969 from a victim’s David Jones credit card.
The noose tightened on Zafiratos when several victims posted his image on Facebook warning other women to beware.
Police arrested Zafiratos for unrelated fraud offences on July 18 2018 after a victim identified him via Facebook.
Zafiratos is due back at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on April 14 on several outstanding fraud charges.
The County Court heard Zafiratos considered the sugar daddy site a “revolving door” for finding victims, ripping them off and then dumping them.
Zafiratos – who admitted he had a cocaine and gambling addiction – believed he could “gamble his way out of debt”.
A psychologist considered Zafiratos a narcissist who wanted to impress people and be admired.
Zafiratos – whose fraud priors date back to 1993 – has been jailed several times for similar offending.
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Judge Michael Cahill said some victims had been “psychologically traumatised” by Zafiratos’ “criminal deceit”.
“(The victims) appeared to have been vulnerable to your manipulation of them,” Judge Cahill said.
Zafiratos will be released on April 5 having spent 597 days in custody at the time of sentencing.
He will be placed on a two-year community correction order when released.