Jody Oliver from Newport, United Kingdom pretended to be a luxury cruise liner captain and duped people, who were looking to spend a holiday on the sea, out of £272,000 (Rs 2.79 crore).

Shockingly, the Cardiff Crown Court in Wales has ordered Oliver to pay a fine of £350 (Rs 35,891) only after he spent the fraudulently acquired money on online gambling. However, he will be facing a jail term of six years and one month.

Prosecutor Andrew Davies told that Oliver offered luxurious cruises to exotic places at a fraction of the market price. “He used different names and job descriptions to obtain money and to live a life that he could not afford. He was living two separate fantasy lives, neither of which he could sustain with legitimate income,” said Davies.

Ultimately, a lot of people were duped and lost their hard-earned money. “They were left with packed bags waiting for transport to the airport for their cruise which never arrived,” Davies said in his statement.

People have reportedly lost their lifetime’s savings, believing that they will be going on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. One of the victims, Christine Evans said that she has not shared about it with her family yet.

“I feel responsible for getting others involved. We are all hardworking people and for someone like Mr Oliver to do this, to do it to so many people with no feelings, makes my blood boil. I still have very bad days myself for getting my family and friends involved with this evil man. Hopefully this will be the last time he will be able to do this,” she said as quoted by The Mirror.

This serves as a classic example, justifying the UK Gambling Commission’s decision to put further restrictions on people’s spending on online gambling. The UK, as of now, suffers from problem gambling with people taking out loans or even stealing to fund their addiction.

As per the new proposed regulations, the limit for online slot machines taking wagers between £2 and £15 per spin will be reduced. Furthermore, a loss of £1,000 in a day or £2,000 in 90 days will also trigger the restrictions.