The witness accounts, including that of fashion designer Lisa Ho, make for gripping and painful listening.

McLaren used a Ponzi-style pyramid scheme to lure his victims in, and relied on their embarrassment and shame to avoid detection for so long.

A seasoned operator, he would shower his female targets in love and attention. They would describe the feeling of really being listened to and understood.

He was also a great storyteller, who would spin outlandish tales about his own past to generate sympathy and respect. Then, slowly, the realisation would dawn that he was not at all what he appeared to be.

By then, though, it was too late. McLaren, who is finally awaiting trail, reaped a trail of destruction in his wake. He took away live savings, livelihoods and the most fragile instinct of all: trust.

Psychological experts later grilled on his behaviour describe it as that of psychopath: highly charming, and lacking in any kind of empathy.

As the podcast shows, it can be natural to blame yourself after you’ve fallen for a fraud scheme. Yet the string of eerily similar stories is evidence of quite how subtle, and toxic, the process can be.

We all assume we’re wise and clued-up. But the clear message of Who the Hell is Hamish? is that we could all be that man or woman being duped.

Images: Getty

This true crime podcast says everything about classic manipulators