Vile Virgin Money bank scam fraudster took £25k from elderly couple

Paul McEnhill, 28, deceived Thomas Docherty, 73, and Margaret Baillie, 82, into transferring thousands of pounds (Image: Pressstream)

A heartless con creator who swindled an aged mates retired of £25,000 successful a brazen banking scam has been sentenced to 18 months down bars. Paul McEnhill, 28, deceived Thomas Docherty, 73, and Margaret Baillie, 82, into transferring thousands of pounds.

The scam began erstwhile Docherty received a telephone telephone from a antheral claiming to beryllium the caput of Virgin Money's CID department, stating that £5,000 had been stolen from his account. To retrieve the stolen funds, Docherty was instructed to marque a transaction to assistance Virgin Money place the rogue worker liable for the theft.

The caller past directed Docherty to sojourn a slope subdivision and transportation £4,900, claiming the wealth was for his granddaughter. Furthermore, Docherty was informed that his wife's relationship had been compromised and was ordered to transportation an further £9,500.

Bank unit became suspicious of the ample transactions and alerted the constabulary successful October 2022. McEnhill, from Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, appeared successful Hamilton Sheriff Court and pleaded blameworthy to the fraud, which resulted successful him obtaining a full of £24,140 from his victims, reports the Daily Record.

Sheriff John Speir deemed imprisonment arsenic the lone suitable option, condemning the 'callous and calculated' scheme. Depute fiscal Carla McGuire described McEnhill's persistent fraudulent activities, stating: "He told Docherty that Baillie's relationship had had a further £5,000 taken from it and told Docherty helium would request to entree his net banking to wage backmost the funds and gave Docherty a pin to entree the banking which worked."

"He besides asked Docherty for his 16-digit paper fig and told Docherty that Baillie would person to spell to the slope again but helium was reluctant owed to her mediocre wellness but the caller was insistent that she would suffer her wealth otherwise."

"They returned to the Rutherglen subdivision of Virgin Money with the caller remaining connected the telephone whilst they conducted the transaction."

"Docherty was recognised by a unit subordinate and the transportation was refused connected the ground that they were making specified ample transactions successful abbreviated succession and the subdivision manager was made alert and phoned 999."

Police successfully tracked down McEnhill aft it emerged helium utilized his ain slope details for 1 of the transfers.

The tribunal heard £9,500 has been returned to Docherty. Eamonn McGeehan, defending, said: "He had a monolithic cause indebtedness and was invited to go progressive successful this strategy arsenic a mode to wide the outstanding debt."

"He did not admit the quality of the strategy and is embarrassed and remorseful but recognises this is simply a superior substance and that the custodial threshold has been met."

Sheriff Speir said: "You engaged successful a callous and calculated strategy to deprive aged victims retired of their savings, truthful overmuch truthful that the consequences for them were the interaction connected their intelligence wellness and their fiscal situation."

Virgin Money declined to comment.