Three imprisoned for fraud targeting vulnerable

Adam Rankin, Paul Brown and Irfan Yousaf were sentenced at Durham Crown Court

Three men have been imprisoned after stealing more than £50,000 from "vulnerable and often elderly" victims by fraud.

Adam Rankin, 32, from Dumbarton, and Paul Brown, 27, of no fixed abode, were sentenced to four years each at Durham Crown Court for conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, while Irfan Yousaf, 41, from Glasgow, was sentenced to three and a half years for the same charge.

The men targeted four people in the Durham area, the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) said.

They contacted their victims by telephone, claiming to be from their bank’s "fraud squad" and claimed the victims' savings were at risk and needed to be safeguarded.

NEROCU said the men used "complex and manipulative tactics" to convince their victims to transfer money into other bank accounts and to leave cheques for couriers to collect.

They also used the victims' personal information to take out loans and credit cards.

'Emotional impact'

Brown pleaded guilty and Rankin and Yousaf elected to go to trial at Durham Crown Court.

The men were convicted by a jury on 2 August.

The officer in charge of the case, Det Con Nichola Gaines, said: "Those targeted suffered a total financial loss of over £50,000 with the emotional impact being just as damaging."

NEROCU Det Sgt Gillian Coulson, added: "Offenders typically target elderly or vulnerable people and purport to be from a trusted institution such as a bank or the police. They prey on people's trust and exploit it for illicit gains."

Ms Coulson asked people to speak to their elderly relatives and explain the dangers of courier fraud.