Mum defrauded 500 people out of £186k in PPI scam

AMOTHER conned hundreds of people in a massive PPI fraud. Emma Meredith Hughes defrauded 500 people out of £186,000 altogether.

The 33-year-old promised to get people huge refunds through her company, NM Training Ltd.

The company also gave approximate figures for the amounts that anyone signing up could receive.

Some of the people affected included the elderly and vulnerable. In total 500 people made the payments she requested to NM Training, totalling £170,000.

Ministry of Justice regulations state upfront payments can only be requested once a person has seen and agreed the full terms and conditions of their claim.

Further offences were committed when some of the “customers” were contacted a second time and informed their “High Claims Court” claim had been successful, but further payment would be needed to release the funds.

This led to a further £17,000 being paid out, bringing the total sum of the fraud to £186,427.57

Hughes, of Heol Miles, Pontyclun, was charged with “carrying on a business or company with intent to defraud creditors or for other fraudulent purposes”.

She admitted the offence and appeared before Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on November 12 for sentencing.

Hughes was jailed for 40 months and was banned from being able to act as a director for 10 years by Judge Thomas Crowther QC.

She was also issued with a Criminal Behaviour Order, prohibiting her from operating within the claims management industry for 10 years.

In court in November, Hughes’ defence is understood to have told the court the business was used for cashflow, not to fund a lavish lifestyle, and that she was naive and the way the business was run was “chaotic”.

A spokesman for Rhondda Cynon Taf council said she denied targeting the elderly, saying the business was random and used a random dialling system using landlines.

The court was also told the money taken was put back into the business and accounts show it has a loss of £6,000.

Her defence said that the offending itself is dated as Hughes was arrested in relation to it in 2015.

She told the court she accepts responsibility and does have remorse for what has happened.

She submitted two references in relation to her character, mentioning her charitable work.

Rhondda Cynon Taf council director of public health, protection and community services Paul Mee said: “This was a complex and lengthy case involving someone with previous convictions.

“It was only with the support of officers and community services that we were able to get some of the money back for the victims.”