A wanted fraudster fled the country and remained at large for nearly two years before being arrested after a car crash in Spain.
Phillip Lam went on the run before he was due to be sentenced for stealing the details of more than 1,000 credit cards to book flights and hotels in a scam worth in the region of a million pounds. He was able to fund a lavish lifestyle on the back of his deception, which left his victims significantly out of pocket and businesses on the brink of bankruptcy.
The 31-year-old - of no fixed address, but from Dingle - failed to appear for his sentencing in March 2021, having been released on bail after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. The swindler was handed four years and nine months behind bars in his absence.
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But Lam appeared in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court today, Thursday, after being extradited back to the UK. James Rae, prosecuting, described how he was detained on an international arrest warrant in Marbella at around 2.30am on November 6 this year.
This followed a collision after which he attempted to resist Spanish police officers. Lam arrived back into the country at Gatwick Airport last night with the assistance of Interpol and the National Crime Agency.
Together, he and co-defendant Steven Noone had been "actively trading in and using stolen credit cards" in order to make purchases on behalf of third parties. Phones and computers seized from their homes revealed that they had cooked up a "successful and profitable scam" which involved them purchasing goods or services on behalf clients who contacted them on WhatsApp, messaging service ICQ or social media - where he advertised his cut-price deals.
These were then purchased using the stolen credit card details. Lam used gambling websites and a "mule" bank account in order to launder the proceeds, while he and his family flew on a number of international flights themselves, having made bookings for journeys and accommodation with the compromised cards.
Some of the cash was also converted into Bitcoin. The scam was initially reported by Jet2, the firm having seen more than 20 flights booked online without the knowledge of the legitimate card holder between May and September 2016 - totalling more than £21,000.
Subsequent investigations saw the two conmen arrested in July 2017. Thirty-eight-year-old Noone - Childwall Priory Road, Childwall - was previously imprisoned for four years and nine months
Damien Nolan, defending Lam, said today: "It is a deliberate attempt to evade justice, it is a serious offence. He appreciates it will be a sentence additional to the one imposed previously."
Wearing a black Nike zip-up hoodie, Lam admitted an additional charge of breaching court bail. He was handed an additional two months behind bars.
Sentencing, Judge Louise Brandon said: "What you did was a deliberate attempt to delay justice. You have a history of breaching court orders.
"You deliberately tried to avoid your sentence for a period of 21 months. There is little that can be said to mitigate your position."
Merseyside Police's Detective Constable Emma Singleton said: "In total, the fraud was valued at more than £1,000,000 and involved the complex use of various payment and money laundering methods. They stole credit card details and spent money they simply had no right to spend.
"As well as taking the cash of the legitimate owners of those cards, they also took money from people who bought holidays from them in good faith. Many of those people then found that payments had ultimately been rejected and hotels demanded payment they believed they had already made or goods they believed they had purchased were never delivered.
"The trail of victims they left in their wake was significant, from individuals to flight and holiday operators, so it is very satisfying to see that justice has been secured for all those affected. They committed the offences in order to fund their lavish lifestyles, enjoying expensive holidays literally at the expense of other people.
"It is very clear that they had no regard for the impact of their actions on both the businesses they were defrauding and the people whose credit card details they stole. Since the offences were reported, Merseyside Police has helped secure bank refunds for many of the victims but the businesses were not reimbursed and in some instances the small businesses involved faced bankruptcy.
"While Noone began his prison sentence, Lam thought he could evade justice. He was wrong.
"Our enquiries led us to Marbella and, with the assistance of the National Crime Agency, he was arrested and brought back to face the courts. We use all available powers working with law enforcement agencies internationally and will not stop looking for wanted people, wherever they may be."
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