Detectives are warning house purchasers to beware of fraudsters after a victim was conned into transferring more than £70,000 to a criminal gang using a Gravesend bank account.
On 15 April 2021, a woman who was buying a property in Hertfordshire received an email from somebody purporting to be from the office of her conveyancing solicitor. The message required the transfer of funds to an account that differed from the details she had previously received.
The victim queried the change but was advised the company had two different accounts. As a result, she visited her bank and authorised the movement of £70,500. It later transpired the email had been part of an elaborate fraud and the incident was reported to the police.
Detectives from Kent Police’s Economic Crime Unit commenced an investigation and identified the money had been moved into a business account controlled by Kimberley Abdul. Within a couple of days the funds had been moved to another of Abdul’s accounts and the investigators proved she had made purchases totalling more than £900 with some of the cash.
Abdul, from Gravesend, was arrested on 26 July 2021 and later charged with concealing, transferring or removing criminal property by means of transfers and purchases. The 36-year-old appeared at Woolwich Crown Court and, on Monday 23 September 2024, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. She is also required to complete 20 days’ rehabilitation activity and 100 hours of unpaid work.
Detective Constable Lee Preston said:
‘We have seen this type of case in the past where criminal gangs gain knowledge of an impending house purchase and then email victims to persuade them to send the money directly into an account controlled by a third party. That account holder is aware it is a scam and is allowed to keep some of the funds before moving the rest of the money to those who organised the fraud.
‘These crimes can involve substantial amounts of money and the loss of the cash is devastating to the victim. While Abdul played a relatively minor part, her role was crucial in ensuring the gang members could remain anonymous. She should be thoroughly ashamed of her actions.
‘In this case, the victim was able to recover her loss in full from her bank, but the incident should be a reminder to anyone involved in large money transfers to take care. If you receive an email or phone call asking you to send cash to a different account from the one you expected, end the interaction and phone the relevant organisation on a trusted phone number to check.’
To report a fraud you can contact Kent Police online or by calling 999 in an emergency. You can also contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111. You can also visit their websites.