Martin McDonagh, a traveller from the UK, ran the scam across Melbourne's eastern suburbs during 2018 and 2019.

Pretending to be the owner of various home improvement companies, he used the names Cody, Austin, Jackson and Harley to rip off eight people for work that was never started, never finished or done without permits.

In one case he ripped off a Burwood East man for $280,000 after the man called him about a sticking front door.

McDonagh told him there was nothing wrong with the door, but the entire house was coming off the foundations and needed to be re-stumped before it became "unliveable and unsellable" and quoted $96,000.

He then claimed re-stumping work damaged the roof, and quoted $238,000 in separate invoices to fix it.

But an independent inspector found there was no reason to underpin the house and the work hadn't even begun.

In another case McDonagh quoted up to $9000 to repair a balcony roof and sent in workers without approval.

He then invoiced the woman $12,000 for the work. She paid $9000, refusing to give any more.

Homeowners paid $366,150 for work in McDonagh's scam.

McDonagh grew up in a traveller community in the UK, with a violent alcoholic father and among a dangerous and dysfunctional family feud that led to the death of an uncle.

He has no memory of any schooling and describes himself as functionally illiterate and innumerate. He was bullied for his accent and being a traveller, and had no friends outside his family.

McDonagh married at 18 and moved to Australia in 2015 to start a better life for his wife and son.

Judge James Parrish said McDonagh claimed to believe the fraudulent companies, which he was originally hired as a labourer to work for, were "legit".

"I should have looked into them more. I'm really sorry for everything that has happened," he said.

He said he was paid $1000 a week and shared none of the profits. There was no evidence of any unusual income, prosecutors said, though police found designer clothes including Louboutin shoes, Gucci slides and Louis Vuitton bags at his home.

But the judge rejected McDonagh believed they were legitimate, saying as the face of the companies he exploited and deceived clients.

McDonagh was sentenced in the County Court on Monday to two years' jail, but will be eligible for parole in three months.

Australian Associated Press