Anthony Farrer, also known as The Timepiece Gentleman, got famous for selling expensive watches online. In late 2023, he was arrested, and by October 2024, he admitted to committing fraud. Fortunately, his scam scheme was detected, and a 36-year-old premium watch merchant was sentenced to nearly six years in prison. However, many buyers, sellers, and collectors were scammed out of millions of dollars.
A story about greed never gets old. Humanity has always strived for more, but where is this thin line when the desire to grow and earn more clouds someone’s mind, so they stop caring about morals?
According to court documents, Farrer launched his business in Texas in 2017, as a middleman for luxury timepiece transactions. He collected watches from sellers, connected them with buyers, and made 5% on each deal. He had an average career and was doing well. Five years later, he moved to Los Angeles and opened a retail store with the same name as his popular online persona, “The Timepiece Gentleman.” LA definitely offers more opportunities for growth and connections; moreover, social media have become a powerful tool to develop business and get recognition. Farrer knew how to use them: his content was appealing and interesting, and he quickly gained a lot of followers who trusted him.
But by November 2022, Farrer was running a fraudulent enterprise, investigators said, with aspects that resembled a Ponzi scheme. Instead of fulfilling sales properly, he reportedly kept the proceeds, financing what prosecutors described as an extravagant way of life.
Instead of giving people the money for the watches they trusted him to sell, he took all the profits. He also accepted wire transfers from customers looking to purchase specific watches but either never delivered the items or sent them different, often less valuable, timepieces. In one case, he sent a Rolex to a client instead of the money owed, but that watch belonged to another customer who had never authorized its use as a payment method.
Farrer also engaged in another dishonest practice – using clients’ watches as collateral to secure loans without their permission. Other victims didn’t want to remain silent and allow Farrer to get away with what he had done to them, so they called up the police. When authorities showed up to The Timepiece Gentleman store in the upscale LA district in August 2023, it was closed. At the same time, Farrer posted on social while traveling around the country.
In an attempt to address his actions, Farrer launched a YouTube series where he admitted to deceiving people to sustain his attention-seeking lifestyle. He disclosed that he was drowning in $5 million of debt. On Aug. 9, he uploaded what would be his final video, contemplating stepping away from the luxury watch business altogether.
Facing mounting criticism, Farrer announced that he would be reducing his online presence to a single Instagram account. His last post, a gym selfie, was shared on Nov. 4, 2023. Social media are great platforms for self-expression and promotion, however, they are also helpful tools to locate someone or learn about someone’s life. Three days later, authorities arrested the scammer at a storage facility in the Golden State.
Farrer’s scheme preyed on more than 40 individuals and ultimately cost them more than $5.7 million. He also will have to make restitution to his victims, although the amount will be decided later.
This story is a great example of how decisive social media may be. On the other hand, it is a warning that we should access everything we see critically and not trust blindly, especially when it comes to luxury items. It’s like POV vs Reality: what may seem as a thriving business, in fact is a sophisticated scam that can leave many victims in financial ruin.
