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THE FBI’s once most wanted conman is now speaking out about the crimes that cost him 12 years of his life in federal prison.
Matthew Cox, a notorious former conman and mortgage fraudster, was once among the FBI’s Most Wanted for his intricate and highly lucrative schemes.
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His journey from a real estate professional to a master manipulator of financial systems is what he calls a cautionary tale of greed, deception, and the eventual long arm of justice.
Born in Florida in 1969, Cox’s early days seemed relatively normal before his life of crime took over.
He attended the University of South Florida, where he studied art before venturing into real estate.
However, his career took a dark turn in the early 2000s when he began orchestrating elaborate mortgage fraud schemes that would ultimately lead to millions of dollars in losses for banks and other financial institutions.
Cox’s primary schemes involved falsifying documents, creating fake identities, and using straw buyers to secure fraudulent loans.
His schemes were audacious and complex – he would even buy properties, inflate their values, and then obtain multiple loans against them.
Once the money was in hand, he would default on the loans, leaving financial institutions in the lurch.
In an interview with Jesse Watters on Fox News, Cox discussed one of his more audacious schemes.
In this particular fraud, Cox says he convinced Social Security to issue him numbers for non-existent children, allowing him to take out credit cards under those fake identities and max them out without affecting his credit.
FROM MORTGAGE BROKER TO CRIMINAL MASTERMIND
Cox’s criminal activities weren’t limited to a single location in Florida.
He was a master of disguise, frequently altering his appearance and assuming new identities to avoid detection.
Over the years, he used numerous aliases, which allowed him to move freely across the country, all while continuing to defraud financial institutions.
His ability to stay one step ahead of the law led to a decade-long cat-and-mouse game with federal authorities, including the FBI, US Marshals, and even the Secret Service.
Cox’s life ability to evade capture was so elusive and remarkable, that he likened his life to a mix of the movies, Catch Me If You Can, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
FINALLY CAPTURED
Despite his best efforts to stay hidden, Cox’s luck eventually ran out.
In November 2006, Secret Service agents finally caught up with him in Nashville, Tennessee.
His arrest marked the end of a years-long manhunt that spanned multiple states and countries, involving some of the nation’s top law enforcement agencies.
In 2007, Cox was convicted on 42 counts of fraud and was facing a potential 400-year sentence for his crimes.
The total amount stolen over his lifetime from his schemes was estimated at nearly $55 million.
Expert Advice: How to protect yourself from fraud
Craig Costigan, the CEO of fraud experts NICE Actimize gave the following tips to readers of The U.S. Sun on how to stay safe from fraudsters.
- As the saying goes, trust but verify. Always question your text and email communications. It may not be from who you think it is. Look for giveaways that it is a scam email. If your bank contacts you about a fraud via a text or email, call the number on the back of your credit or debit card to contact the fraud department directly – much safer than giving data to an impersonator.
- Protect your personal identifying information such as social security cards, your blank checks and other IDs.
- Always be vigilant. Even the safest and most careful among us have encountered fraudsters – we survived
because we reported the activity immediately to our providers, changed our passwords and checked our credit reports for unusual activity. - If you are not applying for credit, you might also consider placing a freeze on your credit reports, such as Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, so fraudsters can’t open accounts in your name. You can easily unfreeze your credit when you want to open a new account.
However, in a twist that mirrored his entire criminal career, Cox managed to negotiate a plea deal and serve less time.
His sentence was reduced to 26 years, which seemed like nothing compared to 400.
And due to his cooperation with authorities, Cox served just 12 years before being released in 2019.
LIFE AFTER PRISON
Since his release, Cox has reinvented himself — this time as a podcaster, true crime writer, and television developer.
He has even penned a book titled, Shark in the Housing Pool, detailing his life of crime.
Cox has also been a featured guest on various media platforms where he has talked about his life and crimes, including that interview with Watters in May.
Today, Cox continues to share his story, exploring the world of crime from the other side of the law.
Now 50 years old, Cox says he reflects on his past with a mix of pride and regret, acknowledging the thrill of his criminal adventures while also recognizing the heavy toll the consequences of those actions took on his life.
His latest venture is developing a TV series about his life, promising to give audiences a first-hand look at the mind of one of the most infamous conmen in recent history.
