A man took part in a scam to fleece an elderly couple out of nearly £36,000 after losing his job during lockdown and accruing a drug debt.
Michael Hardman, 28, of Crofton Road, Runcorn, appeared for sentence at Chester Magistrates' court on Tuesday after pleading guilty in October to six counts of theft, money laundering, and simple possession of cannabis,. Hardman's defence barrister argued Hardman's role was limited to allowing his bank account to be used to move the money.
Nardeen Nemat, prosecuting, told Chester Crown Court how the phone scam plot targeted John and Mary Thompson, aged 83 and 79, who live in a rural part of Scotland. On January 11 last year they received a call from an unknown caller who said they were from the fraud department at the couple’s bank and gave Mrs Thompson some codes and passed her to another “male” to whom she gave the codes.
