Three women duped by a serial conman have spoken out about the heartbreaking betrayal and destruction he caused to their lives.
Hamish Earle McLaren, 48, from Sydney's eastern suburbs, has been behind bars since his arrest in July 2017 after he fleeced $70million worldwide from dozens of victims by pretending to be an investment fund manager.
McLaren pleaded guilty to 17 counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception and one count of knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime last September.
He will be sentenced next month after he conned almost $8million from 15 Australian victims between 2011 and 2017.
Two of his victims, ex-wife Bec Rosen and Tracy Hall, McLaren's last partner before he was arrested have since become best friends and call themselves the 'Hamish Survivors' Club'.
Conman Hamish McLaren (pictured) has scammed dozens of victims, including 15 in Australia
'It's good to be able to share stories and have a laugh. Somebody else who was in a relationship with him and went through what she went through. I felt like I wasn't on my own anymore,' Ms Hall told Channel Seven's Sunday Night.
When asked whether they felt like victims, Ms Rosen replied: 'No, not at all. What do we call ourselves?
'Survivors,' Ms Hall replied.
The single mum fell in love with market trader Max Tavita on a dating app in March 2016.
She didn't have a clue his real name was Hamish McLaren until 16 months into their whirlwind romance relationship when he was arrested, just days after they'd returned from a NSW north coast mini-break.
By then, Ms Hall had given him $320,000 of her life savings.
McLaren later called Ms Hall from Silverwater Jail, followed by a barrage of love letters declaring his love for her.
'He's dead,' Ms Hall said.
'He was somebody who was completely fabricated and made up. He actually doesn't exist. None of it was real.'
Two of McLaren's victims, ex-wife Bec Rosen (left) and his most recent partner Tracy Hall (right) are now best friends who catch up at least once a week
Bec Rosen fell in love with McLaren when she moved to Blueys Beach on the NSW north coast in 2008.
He quickly became a father like figure to her three young sons and the couple married two years later.
McLaren then told his wife he returning to his old job as an investment trader in Sydney, and rented a waterside apartment.
She had no idea she was footing the bill for much of her husband's luxurious life, including a
