Six jailed for more than 25 years after £1million East Lancs courier fraud

Six fraudsters have been jailed for a combined total of over 25 years for conning elderly victims out of over £1 million from a call centre in Blackburn.

The gang scammed 14 vulnerable elderly victims across the country, in a Courier Fraud scam.

They would call or visit the victims’ addresses, purporting to be from their bank or the police, and tell them that they needed their card or bank details to assist with an investigation, or that the victim had been scammed, and they were there to help.

The scammers would cold call victims from a fake call centre in Blackburn Town Centre, claiming to be from the police and bank security departments.

In one case, they told a man in his 80s that it was a ‘special project’, and he was ‘sworn to secrecy’.

For some victims, they told them that they were to expect a parcel at their house, not to open it, and a courier would pick it up.

The scammers then used the victims’ cards or funds to withdraw or transfer cash and make lavish purchases, including watches, flights, laptops and electronics, jewellery, 5* hotel stays, and exchanging money into other currencies.

With reports coming in across the country, a number of investigations were launched, and suspects identified. The suspects all had one thing in common: they were from or had significant links to Lancashire.

Lancashire opened an investigation, and all six were arrested, and later charged, and sentenced at Preston Crown Court. They were:

Giovanni Piras, 37, formerly of The Evergreens, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and was sentenced to six years and 11 months in prison.

Samuel Daniels, 35, formerly of Hollin Bank Court, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and was sentenced to five years and two months in prison.

Dean Clarke, 40, formerly of Waterloo Close, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Caroline Cunliffe, 48, formerly of Wardlebrook Avenue, Hyde, pleaded not guilty and was later convicted of conspiracy to defraud and was sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Giuseppe Persico, 50, of No Fixed Abode pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

Muhammed Afzal, 51 formerly of Azalea Road, Blackburn, pleaded not guilty and was later convicted of conspiracy to defraud was sentenced to 25 months in prison.

DC Adam Kelsall, of our Fraud Triage Team said: “These despicable people preyed on some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

“They exploited their vulnerabilities with the aim to gain their trust before stealing their life savings.

“One of the victims has died whilst our investigation was ongoing, and it saddens me that they didn’t get the chance to see these offenders brought to justice.

“I do hope that the victims can now begin to rebuild their lives, knowing that the people responsible for this crime are behind bars.

“These crimes are not and never will be tolerated in Lancashire. If you are committing fraud, we will find out who you are, we will investigate, and we will bring you to justice.”