Gang Who Posed as Detectives Locked Up for Recovery Scam

A bunch of crooks who acted like private eyes offering to get money back for gambling scam victims have ended up behind bars after conning people out of more than GBP 110,000 ($149,537).

Scammers Land in Jail After GBP 110,000 Betting Scam Comes to Light

Teesside Crown Court learned that Christopher Call, 36, and Charles Palmer, 43, ran the show. They went after people who had already lost a lot of money in horse racing and betting scams. The two pretended to be detectives, reaching out to their targets by phone and text with promises of payback, but demanded commission up front, as reported by BBC News.

The court heard that the gang convinced three individuals to give them money between March and October 2020. They tricked one woman, who had already lost GBP 20,000 ($27,192) in a previous scam, into paying GBP 82,500 ($112,171). Another woman lost more than GBP 21,000 ($28,551) to the fraudsters. A 79-year-old man gave GBP 6,680 ($9,083) after the gang told him they could help him get back money he had lost before.

A fourth possible victim, who had earlier lost GBP 183,000 ($248,816) in a different horse racing scam, did not give any money because she became suspicious when they kept asking for funds. Her refusal played a key role in uncovering the fraud.

Judge Slams Gang for Tricking Vulnerable People

Judge Francis Laird KC said the men had chosen “desperate and vulnerable” people who had already suffered financial losses. He also mentioned that their use of a Bentley borrowed from associate Kevin Ratcliffe aimed to create an image of wealth and trustworthiness.

Call received a sentence of four years and three months for his part in the recovery scam, plus two years and three months for other crimes tied to his roofing company, YRB. The business, which he ran with a partner who is waiting to be sentenced, faced accusations of doing shoddy work at high prices, often picking elderly homeowners as targets.

Palmer, who first ran off to Spain before being sent back, owned up to plotting to cheat and got locked up for four and a half years. Ratcliffe already doing long stretches for drug and tax crimes, got another 20 months for giving the fancy car used in the con. Joseph Holden, 35, who let his bank account be used to move victims’ cash, ended up in jail for two years and three months.

The judge made itclear that this case showed planned abuse set up to target those holding onto hope of getting back lost money. All four people were told their time behind bars matched the serious damage done to people already dealing with the fallout from earlier scams.