A smooth-talking teenager who lived a champagne lifestyle by conning firms out of at least £350,000 using scams similar to those in the film Catch Me If You Can, escaped jail on Monday.

James Cameron, who was just 13 when he started his scams, even boasted to the boss of a Wandsworth company he defrauded, “I can’t believe how easy this is”, before making a getaway.

His confident manner allowed him to take business trips around Europe and dress in expensive suits while he was chauffer driven around London.

He also ordered expensive fashion shoots, complete with models, to maintain his appearance of wealth and importance, while boasting he headed the London arm of a succession fashion chain.

In the film, based on the story of Frank Abagnale who outfoxed American authorities for years by cashing fake cheques and assuming different identities, Leonardo DiCaprio posed as a lawyer, airline pilot and a doctor.

And in a similar fashion, Cameron lived the high life through a network of elaborate cons.

In July 2007 Cameron, now 19, was convicted of 26 counts of obtaining services by deception - totaling £250,000 - but while still under a court order tried to take out £20,000 of advertising in national newspapers.

He was convicted of that offence at Southwark Crown Court in October last year.

This week, he was sentenced at the same court for another £82,000 after pleading guilty to nine counts of false representation and obtaining services by deception.

He also asked for another two fraud cases to be taken into account.

He was sentenced to a term of 50 weeks in prison, suspended for two years and a community order of 200 hours unpaid work on Monday.

Cameron tricked his way around London in a chauffeur driven car by pretending to be a company director.

He set up a number of accounts with taxi companies (taking £22,000 from one) pointing them to a fake website - which included bogus emails and telephone number.

The plucky teenager even gave his front companies and references, moving to another company when he was close to being caught.

Another of his scams was to buy stationary in baulk from a company and pay for it by cheque, before selling it on at a discounted rate for cash up front.

By the time the cheque bounced Cameron had vanished.

On another occasion, he claimed his company was the UK branch of a successful French clothing company and ordered a four day fashion shoot, hiring two models (costing about £10,000) from an agency along with make up artists and photographers.

Detective Constable Kate Giles, of Wandsworth police, who led the investigation said: “He seemed keen to impress everyone about his achievements and boasted about going to elite parties and events.

“Cameron is a habitual conman, money is not his motivation. In a lot of these things he doesn’t make any money, it was the lifestyle.

“When he was cornered by two of the taxi company bosses who worked out his scam he told them, ‘I can’t believe how east it was’.

"When they said they were going to take him to the police station he did a runner.”

DC Giles added: “It is pleasing that he has now been brought to justice.”