Woman forced to rely on foodbanks after two fraudsters took £2,000
AWOMAN had to rely on a foodbank to feed her family after fraudsters took more than £2,000 from her – and took a loan out in her name.
She was told there had been a security breach with her bank account and fraudsters were sent to her home to collect her debit card.
Luke Lunn, 33, and Keenan Poxon, 23, played a role in defrauding a woman in Cardiff in May 2020, by attending her address and collecting her bank card. They went on to use the bank card to purchase a television and a games console among other items.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard the victim received a phone call on May 19, 2020, from man claiming his name was Sean Simmons and was from the fraud department of her bank First Direct.
She was told their had been fraudulent activity in her bank account and was provided with personal security information which made her believe it was a legitimate call.
There was a pending loan application for £5,000, but the victim had never made such an application.
She was advised by the caller her bank account had been frozen and she would be issued with a new card.
Prosecutor Megan Evans said the victim was “shaken up” by the call and feared for her finances.
On May 26, 2020, the victim was called again and was told her card had been swallowed up in Nottingham after someone had tried to withdraw cash. She told the caller she had possession of her card, but she was told her card had been cloned.
Ms Evans said the caller told the victim her card would have to be returned to the bank but due to Covid-19 restrictions, a courier would pick up the card from her home. Shortly after 5pm, Poxon attended the victim’s home but was reluctant to engage in conversation.
The defendant took the card but did not ask for a signature or for the
PIN number.
He placed the card in an envelope marked First Direct he walked to a nearby white van.
Later that day, the victim received a genuine text message from First Direct notifying her there had been unusual activity.
She contacted trading standards and the Citizens Advice Bureau, who in turn contacted South Wales Police.
Enquiries were carried out which revealed £500 had been withdrawn from a cash machine in Asda in Cardiff Bay in three withdrawals on May
26. CCTV footage was obtained and showed Poxon using the cash machine at the relevant time.
Later the same day, CCTV showed Poxon and Lunn in Asda using a till to purchase a PlayStation 4, PlayStation headsets, two bottles of drink and mints.
The defendants later attended Sainsbury’s in Colchester Avenue, where they bought a HD television. The total loss to the victim was £2,011.
Police managed to spot the defendants’ vehicle on the CCTV and discovered Lunn was a a driver on a rental agreement. The vehicle was traced back to Leicester where the defendants had travelled from.
Poxon, of Netherhall Road, Leicester, and Lunn, of Bainbridge Road, Leicester, gave no comment interviews but both later pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation, on the basis they didn’t set up the frauds, did not speak to the victim on the phone, and were put under “considerable pressure” to play their roles.
The court heard Poxon was of previous good character but Lunn had eight previous convictions for offences related to drugs, driving and public order.
In a victim personal statement read out to the court, the victim said she had to resort to using foodbanks in order to feed herself and her family.
She added: “My salary and saving were taken fraudulently from my bank account and a fraudulent loan taken out in my name. I had no money left after it was stolen.
“I have never been son desperate and couldn’t get finance because of the loan the fraudsters took out in my name which left me in financial difficulty.”
The victim said after a lengthy process and appeals, the bank had reimbursed her money.
In mitigation, Paul Prior said his clients had pleaded guilty at an early stage and had been subjected to a delay of more than two years before being dealt with by the courts.
He said the frauds concerned the supermarkets they had attended, rather than the victim herself, and both men’s families would find it “difficult” if they were incarcerated.
Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: “All of this was a complete lie and a complete ruse .... The effect on (the victim) was grave.
“She had not money for food or to shop, she had a number of children and had to use food banks and that had a great effect on her mental and physical health at a time when lockdown was in its prime.”
Lunn was sentenced to a total of 30 weeks’ imprisonment and Poxon was sentenced to 19 weeks’ imprisonment.