Seven women who were hoping to marry their beloved boyfriend were left in shock when they found out he was a married gigolo who had been using them to fund his jobless lifestyle for years.

Adib Kamel from Moscow, Russia, had sent photos to his girlfriends of damaged cars, asked for money to pay fines, gasoline, and even to improve medical qualifications.

Each girlfriend thought she was the only one in Kamel’s life after he told each one of them that he would marry her.

One of his girlfriends, named only as Ana, told local media she met Kamel on the Internet and was in a relationship with him for 18 months.

Ana said: said: “He told me that we are a family, that I am his wife, that he is my husband.

“He persuaded me to take on financial responsibility and said that after a while, everything would stabilize and then we will live together. He told me: ‘Like every husband who is supposed to earn money, I will work and earn.'”

She said she gave him expensive gifts and money until another woman named Indira contacted her and told her that she was also in a relationship with the same man.

Indira told local media that Kamel told her that he was from Syria, then moved to Russia in 2009 and worked as a fitness trainer.

Indira said: “I liked him, he worked as a fitness trainer. The relationship sort of developed.

“There was a six-month break, maybe less – three months.

“And after it all resumed, he arrived in a new role.

“From the conversation, I found out that he no longer worked as a fitness trainer but worked in a city clinic and, as it turned out, in my clinic.”

“He asked for RUB 50,000 (GBP 442), as supposedly there was a delay in salary, and he needed to repay loans. He then asked for RUB 20,000 (GBP 177) which he said he had to send to his parents in Syria.”

Another woman, who has not been named, said she was in a relationship with the suspect for eight years during which he lied to her that he had colon cancer.

To help him, she gave him RUB 2.5 million (GBP 22,000) during the course of their relationship.

She said: “It all started when I started taking out loans for RUB 300,000 (GBP 2,640).

“He said that he had found a capsule that cures cancer, and this capsule cost RUB 120,000 (GBP 1,055) at first, then the amount increased.”

Psychologist Elena Yarikova said: “Many gigolos use this scheme – they put pressure on pity.

“A woman, initially, if she loves a person, is ready to give him money.

“This is exactly what they use, they are scammers.”

The women are now looking for other potential victims and said they will file a police report against Kamel.

Local media reported that he was also married although no details were given of his wife or if she was aware of his scam.