Revealed: Ten sick cheats who pretend to be hero soldiers

Hundreds of frauds pretend to be military heroes by wearing medals they never earned.

 

WITH a little clumsy photoshopping and a lot of brass neck, fantasist Dave Harper instantly became a hero paratrooper clutching “his” Military Cross medal.

Medal trickery . . . Roger Day posed with medals and was charged with unlawfully using decoration

With similar ease, and a few mouse clicks by others, Harper, from Bolton, instantly became a laughing stock as his fraud was exposed on the website of an internet vigilante group, his shame compounded when we featured his “utter stupidity” in The Sun.

Hard to please . . . Bob Spour claimed to have fought with the SAS in the Falklands

 But, shockingly, he is just one of many hundreds of cheats claiming heroic service they never did and wearing medals they never earned.Many dismiss such fantasists as nothing more than sad “Walter Mittys”. Yet their actions are cheapening the bravery of real servicemen and women.

Fake injury . . . David Reeve was invited to join a Remembrance Sunday Parade

 Some pose in eBay-bought uniforms and medals to fool their mates. Others deliberately fake a military history to boost their business, con money or trick women into bed. Some even claim to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to cheat the NHS or charities out of treatment or get lighter sentences from courts.

Crying shame . . . Anthony Church was forced to resign after lies were exposed

 The Walter Mitty Hunters Club (WMHC) which outed Harper, has exposed more than 200 fakers since it was set up in 2013. Other groups of anonymous ex-services personnel, like the Army Rumour Service, have exposed many more.

Xtreme fitness . . . Matthew Sayer falsely claimed to have been injured in Afghanistan

 The WMHC is a secretive group of 20 former and current Armed Forces members who follow up tip-offs, exposing impostors they class as “Bloaters” if they exaggerate their military background or “Cumpers” if they make it up entirely.

Far-right wannabe . . . Adam Hodgen was ditched by Britain First after his lies

 They now get 20 to 30 tip-offs each week. Those they prove to be impostors are approached online, then given 24 hours “to think about the hurt and insult their actions have caused”.

Serving time . . . Christopher Griffin claimed he had been a Captain in the Royal Signals

 A WMHC club member said: “If they admit it we only post the apology. If they don’t, we expose them. Quite a few claim to have PTSD. They recount war zone stories they have read about.”

Ebay fraud . . . Andy Ford claimed his 'SAS' equipment was worth at least £4,000

 Wing Commander Dr Hugh Milroy, chief executive of the long-established Veterans Aid charity, wants a UK equivalent to America’s Stolen Valor Act, making it a crime to make false claims about military decorations.

Ukip fraud . . . Kevan Konnor Williams falsely claimed on election leaflets that he served 19 years as a paratrooper

 In the UK, pretending to have served in the Armed Forces is only illegal, and deemed fra
ud, if the person stands to gain financially. Dr Milroy said: “These people can do and say what they like with virtual impunity.”

He said even the police, courts and prisons do not know if someone is claiming military trauma and PTSD to get lighter treatment. Of the 45 people whose military service a British prison had asked to be verified, nearly half had never served.