Sleeping With a Psychopath: Part 1 - The £850,000 Romance Scam

Carolyn Woods shares how serial conman Mark Acklom posed as an MI6 agent and stole her life savings. A gripping true story of deception, love, and betrayal. In Part 1 of our two-part series, we delve into the jaw-dropping true story of Mark Acklom—a manipulative conman who deceived and defrauded Carolyn Woods out of £850,000 by posing as a charming MI6 agent and successful businessman. Based on Carolyn’s book Sleeping With a Psychopath, this episode explores the early stages of their relationship and the psychological tactics Acklom used to create trust, dependency, and urgency. With incredible detail, Carolyn shares how she was swept into a whirlwind romance that quickly turned into a sophisticated financial and emotional trap. Join us as we examine how love, lies, and manipulation collided in one of the UK’s most disturbing cases of romance fraud. Part 1 reveals the warning signs, red flags, and methods used by one of Britain’s most notorious serial conmen. For fans of The Tinder Swindler, Dirty John, The Puppet Master, and Love Fraud, this is a must-listen. Want to read Carolyn’s full story? Grab a copy of her Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller, Sleeping with a Psychopath: A real-life psychological crime thriller, available now on Amazon: 👉 Sleeping with a Psychopath ................................................. Shop Air Up here: Treat yourself or someone special to a refreshing twist with Air Up! Enjoy 10% off your order using the code TRUECRIMINALS at ⁠airup.link/truecriminals⁠. Explore all their delicious flavours today. Share Your Thoughts and Questions: Connect with us via email at contact@audiobleachglobal.com. We’d love to hear from you! Follow Us: Instagram: @true.criminals Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals Support Us: If you love the podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon for exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/TrueCriminals Connect with Martin Brunt: Twitter: @skymartinbrunt Discover more about Martin’s career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book: No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter. Read Here: https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY Connect with Helen Fospero: Instagram: @helenfospero Check out Helen’s podcast, The Convex Conversation: Listen Here. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575 Credits: True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global. Visit www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals for more information. Executive Producer: Lee Mann Producer: Russell Barnes Audio Production: Andrew Chappell Music Composition: Chap Mannequin Artwork: Bleached Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices