Actor, football manager, chef and boyfriend – Matthew Carroll has had many guises.
A BBC investigation has uncovered an extraordinary web of deception one man is alleged to have spun across the UK over the past five years, leaving dozens of people collectively claiming to be almost £50,000 out of pocket.
Those who spoke to the BBC say Matthew Carroll’s trail of deceit, including claims he had landed a starring role in a Marvel film and was seriously ill, have left them questioning who they can trust. They now want to warn others.
Carroll has not responded to any of the allegations.
The BBC is not using the surnames of those making allegations against Carroll, to protect their identities.
Late one night in September 2023, a group of friends sat on the floor of a Sheffield flat piecing together a ripped-up letter that they’d found in the bedroom of their housemate, Matthew Carroll.
It was from a loan company, requesting repayment of more than £1,300 – but it wasn’t addressed to Carroll.
It was found alongside a bank card in one of their friend’s names – which they never knew existed – a card in his girlfriend’s name, and a stack of letters from creditors chasing debts in excess of £16,000.
His flatmate, Greg, who says he was also Carroll’s best friend, had grown suspicious after bills went unpaid by Carroll, despite him claiming the business they were running together, Huntsman Media, was thriving.
Greg had paid £2,500 into the business account. Earlier that September evening he had confronted Carroll, asking to see proof that money he and others had transferred was still there, but says Carroll “basically refused”.
“That’s the last conversation I ever had with him,” Greg adds.
After Carroll left the flat he was never seen again by his Sheffield friends.
A group chat between them began, warning each other to check their own credit history, following the discovery.
Greg says he found more than 18 credit searches had been carried out without him knowing, which he believes were made by Carroll after sharing his passport information with him.
