It reads like a script from a movie. A small-town boy from coastal new south wales who grew up to rub shoulders with the rich and the powerful and, if all the stories are true, cheating them out of a whole lot of money.

Timothy John Alford is accused of being a serial swindler, cheating dozens of people in Australia and in the United States of an estimated $50 million. He has allegedly left a trail of ruin behind him. All while authorities both here and overseas have been on his case.

Today, chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont and investigative reporter Harriet Alexander on following the trail of an alleged con artist.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/