A barber to footballers was lured to London in a 'honeytrap' plot by bungling thugs who demanded £500,000 – then discovered he had only £2,000.

Quentin Cepeljac, from Belgium, was tricked into travelling to the capital by a gang who believed he was also a wealthy cryptocurrency trader.

But after threatening him with a machete, they learned his crypto accounts held just £6.71 – leading one to exclaim: 'Are you kidding me?'