Special Ops To Catch a Criminal S02E03
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00:00I'm pleased with the emergency.
00:07Elite investigative units charged with tackling the most complex of crimes.
00:12Tracing cryptocurrency is much harder than anything I've ever investigated.
00:16We shared the information with law enforcement agencies internationally.
00:20Tracking down the guilty.
00:21They are clever.
00:22And they're dangerous.
00:23The male's got several stab wounds to his leg and foot one in his chest.
00:27You can see the terror in his eyes.
00:29To bring them to justice.
00:31For a second we thought he was getting away with it.
00:33Get him wrong, run him now.
00:35With inside access to the UK's most skilled detectives.
00:39We spend years putting together all of these tiny pieces of evidence.
00:42We follow their toughest cases.
00:44They're real, who did it?
00:46Reveal their unique methods.
00:48We found blood on the beige jacket.
00:50And the vital evidence.
00:52This was gold dust for us.
00:53That puts Britain's most hardened criminals.
00:56Behind bars.
00:58It's about time we started hitting them where it hurts.
01:04So you got conned?
01:05Yeah, I got conned.
01:072020.
01:08As Britain gets used to lockdown, computers and phones are crucial to many isolated and elderly people.
01:15She's a vulnerable older lady, clearly why she was targeted by the offenders.
01:21Organised crime gangs are operating across the UK, using them to wage a campaign of terror on pensioners trapped in their own home.
01:31Somebody came on the line and said, your computer's been...
01:36Oh, yeah.
01:37And we're cutting it off.
01:38These victims were called 20 or 30 times a day to really gain their trust.
01:43Targeting them on a daily basis.
01:45It's just like somebody putting a spell on you to do things that they want you to do.
01:50Stealing their hard-earned cash.
01:52How much was it that you took for that?
01:54Six thousand.
01:55Tragically, the savings that she had were to go towards her funeral cost.
02:00And leaving them scarred for life.
02:02I was just like a zombie. Crying all day. There was nothing I could do.
02:12I'm going to detain you under Section 23 of the M2 Skars Act.
02:15The reason for that is the passengers look a bit spaced out, and yourself.
02:206.42pm, 29th of April, 2020.
02:24Met officers stop a black Audi S3.
02:27I do believe that the three of you together could be up to something.
02:30Not really been able to say where you've been, where you're going.
02:33The UK is in lockdown, making the officers highly suspicious of their movements.
02:38How come you're carrying a large amount of cash?
02:41It's not really a large amount to me personally.
02:44No?
02:45No.
02:46Do you normally carry cash?
02:47I do, yes.
02:48Is it also a fair bit of money?
02:49Oh, I've just taken the deposit for what I just sold.
02:53And how much was it that you took for that?
02:55Six thousand.
02:56And where's the rest of the money?
02:58No.
02:59In the car?
03:00Yeah.
03:01So you've got no receipt or no proof of that?
03:04No, I sold the vehicle.
03:05So it was on there for £5,200?
03:07Yeah.
03:08That's how much you sold.
03:09OK.
03:10And then they've given you cash for it, have they?
03:12Yeah.
03:13OK.
03:14I think I saw a lot of cash out on you and he can't prove that he did buy that car.
03:18What do you think we should do about the money?
03:21The officers remain suspicious.
03:23With no evidence that the money relates to criminal activity, they have to let them go.
03:28I went to the bank and drew out £2,000.
03:35I told them that I got the money and everything because it keeps phoning up.
03:40Four weeks later, in May 2020, Dorset police receive a report of couriers targeting and swindling thousands of pounds from vulnerable pensioners.
03:50And he sent someone over his courier and he gave me a four-digit code.
03:58His courier had to give me that four-digit code when he got here.
04:02Right.
04:03Which he did.
04:04And then he took the money and went on.
04:09I'm Detective Constable Thomas Norman and I'm based in the CID at Bournemouth Police Station.
04:14At any moment, a crime can come in and we have to react and respond to it.
04:18So that's a challenge.
04:20As the reports come in, DC Thomas Norman and his team start to take witness statements from the victims.
04:27So Barbara was our first victim and she was really at the fore of our investigation.
04:33She lived in supported accommodation where people were at hand to assist her.
04:38She had family and she was very much supported by her son.
04:4270-year-old Barbara has been disabled for most of her life.
04:46She says she's been forced to hand over a total of £15,000 to a man named James who's been calling her over the last month.
04:55She was contacted on the 26th of April 2020 by someone who purported to be from her internet service provider.
05:05Which was a pretty standard modus operandi.
05:08She said she's been forced to take a look at her.
05:10My name is Damian Crunney.
05:11I'm the Fraud Protect Officer.
05:13My job involves engaging with the Dorset community to help them understand how to protect themselves from fraud.
05:20The phone goes and this bloke comes on the line and he says, oh, I'm from Virgin.
05:26The attempted fraud follows a fairly classic series of steps.
05:31The offenders put themselves as an authority figure.
05:34This means that the victim will more than likely undertake actions that they tell them to do.
05:41That's the first tactic. The second tactic is that they then introduce a problem.
05:48They told her that she had an issue with her internet connectivity and her router.
05:52They come and say, look, you have experienced low broadband, haven't you, recently?
05:56A victim is being told there's something wrong.
05:58So her emotions have changed to now concern.
06:01But then the offenders throw them a lifeline.
06:04They told her that she would get £500.
06:07They would replace her router as a gesture of goodwill.
06:10So her emotions have now changed.
06:11They're still doing what the authority figure says.
06:13But they're happy that the problem's going to be solved.
06:17The so-called operator keeps Barbara on the line so she doesn't have a moment to question what's happening or seek advice.
06:26They're then being told to download something onto their laptop.
06:29And again, they're following instructions because they are in that happy state that it's going to rectify it.
06:36The download allows them to access Barbara's computer.
06:39She's told to open her internet banking so they can reimburse her.
06:44Once they had remote access, they could then see her typing back details, passwords,
06:50and even move the mouse around and engage with her on her computer.
06:54And they actually then said to her, we're going to give you £700 as opposed to £500.
06:59The offenders will make it look on their screen as if they've made an error.
07:03Oh my goodness, Barbara, you silly. What have you done?
07:06You've typed in 7,000 by mistake.
07:09I know these things happen. Don't worry. It's not a problem.
07:13However, we need to get that money back.
07:16The offenders were saying, oh no, I'm going to lose my job. Can you help me?
07:20So as human beings, we want to help each other, the majority of us.
07:23We can't transfer the money back electronically.
07:25What you need to do is go to your bank, withdraw the cash,
07:28and we'll send someone around to collect it from the company.
07:31We have one party that is in control,
07:33and we have another party that is in a position to assist.
07:37It was late on in the evening. The banks weren't open.
07:39She had a sleepless night.
07:41I've got money that doesn't belong to me. This isn't right.
07:44But she very much kept it to herself.
07:46She didn't want to worry other people about it.
07:49The next day, on the 27th of April, Barbara goes to her bank.
07:54She told the bank that she wanted to withdraw £5,000 cash to help her son.
08:00Thankfully, the bank turned her away and said,
08:02we're not comfortable with giving you that money on this date.
08:05Barbara then went home, her mind's racing as to what's happening to her
08:08and what's going on.
08:09The scammers are undeterred and continue to bombard Barbara with calls,
08:15determined to get their hands on her money.
08:18Sadly, it is not uncommon for elderly people to keep money at home.
08:23And Barbara did have an amount of money at home.
08:27You can imagine sort of a scared elderly lady,
08:30her phone's ringing off the hook with people badgering her to say,
08:33come on, Barbara, you need to get this money for us.
08:36Terrified, trapped and isolated in her home,
08:41she feels she has no option other than handing over more of her savings.
08:46She followed the instructions.
08:48She took £1,500 cash.
08:50She took another trip out to the post office
08:52and then sent it recorded delivery to this interest in London.
08:56They were saying to her, look, you now need to send us a picture
08:59of the post office receipt so that we're sure that you've sent it to us.
09:02But it doesn't end there.
09:04They said, well, sorry, Barbara, that's not enough.
09:07We need more.
09:08So she then again dipped into her savings.
09:11And tragically, the savings that she had were to go towards her funeral costs.
09:17There are organised criminal gangs, and this is a business to them.
09:21So at the end of the day, it is a spreadsheet of how much money they have made.
09:25So there is no understanding how it is going to affect the victims long term.
09:32She had £4,500 and a courier came round to her address and collected the money.
09:38They'd say they were from a company called Transglobal Services, which was a fictitious company.
09:44They had the password motorcycle.
09:46They looked the part.
09:47They'd had a high-vis jacket.
09:5029th April, the relentless calls stop.
09:54They actually did something very clever.
09:57They said, we're going to give you a day off and we'll start again tomorrow.
10:00So Barbara was then tied into that relationship.
10:03As promised the day after, the scammers are back.
10:07They were coming back time and time again, which we know one in five people that have been frauded will be frauded again.
10:13On the 5th of May, Barbara, wearing her distinctive red coat, makes her final trip to the bank.
10:21We were approached by the bank who informed us of an elderly lady who was trying to make cash withdrawals.
10:28And the police had gone there to try and find out what was going on.
10:31And they escorted her home to get some more information.
10:34Even though the police are now involved, the scammers are undeterred.
10:39She was still receiving telephone calls to try and extract more money from her.
10:45The person on the end of the line knew she was wearing a red coat.
10:48Barbara had absolutely no idea.
10:51How did they know I was in a red coat?
10:53They're watching my dress.
10:55Have they got cameras in my dress?
10:57That really rang alarm bells.
10:58Is someone watching her?
11:00Is her house under surveillance?
11:02Whilst the police tried to account for this disturbing escalation,
11:06they received two more alarming 999 calls.
11:10Right then, how can I help you today?
11:12Right.
11:13I'm a 90-year-old man, been in business all my life.
11:17OK.
11:18And I've been completely conned like a two-year-old child.
11:21So you say that you did give this guy some money.
11:31How much did you give him?
11:33£2,700.
11:34And when did you give him the money?
11:36Yesterday.
11:38Richard is the latest victim of a group of highly organised scammers.
11:42A 90-year-old retired engineer, he is a lifelong speedway enthusiast and war hero.
11:49We'd identified two other victims in Dorset who had been victim in very similar circumstances.
11:56We realised that this could be the tip of the iceberg.
11:59The growing number of victims suggest this has all the hallmarks of organised crime.
12:04There's no evidence yet, but Dorset police are on the hunt.
12:08Operation Safeguard is launched.
12:11We knew that the people that were likely to be part of a far bigger picture,
12:16potentially working for or with someone overseas.
12:21With any live scam, it's vital to track down the ringleaders.
12:26It is worldwide and it's very difficult to trace where the initial call or message or email comes from.
12:33The officers hunt for vital clues in the victim's statements that might lead them to the scammers.
12:39We really had some good, tangible lines of inquiry to follow in terms of trying to identify our suspect.
12:44Barbara, she was able to provide us with a notepad where she'd scribbled down notes about times of day that people had sent her address.
12:52And Barbara also still has the address that she posted the £1,500 to.
12:57The address led us to identifying a potential ringleader in London.
13:03And he very much matched the description of one of the couriers.
13:08Another victim reported that they were driving a black Audi S3.
13:13He had recorded the number plate.
13:15And this was a really crucial part for us.
13:18We can then use national intelligence systems to search the registration.
13:23We know his name, we know his date of birth.
13:26It's a major breakthrough for DC Norman.
13:29Not only is the Audi S3 registered to the address in London,
13:33it transpires that this particular black Audi had been subject to stop and search four weeks prior.
13:41They've got like six grand in cash.
13:43And they've got a fair bit of cash on it as well.
13:45During the search, the officers found a significant amount of cash.
13:49And that was really crucial information for us.
13:53There could be a critical piece of evidence that connects the stop and search to the Dorset courier frauds.
14:00The really important thing was that stop was on the evening when two gentlemen in Bournemouth were defrauded on the 29th of April.
14:11So I knew that that car had been coming back from Dorset.
14:16And that cash belonged to the two victims.
14:19It's imperative they act fast before the suspects know the police are onto them.
14:25Ultimately, we want to impact the organised crime group and disrupt them and stop them.
14:30Because if we take one courier off the street, they'll be replaced by another one.
14:34So we want to go up the chain, if you like.
14:36We were pretty confident that we were in a position to make the call to arrest.
14:41On the 1st of June, they apply for PACE Section 8 warrants for three locations across South London.
14:49If we go to one address, potentially they're on the phone to the other people to say,
14:52oh, the police are around, make yourself scarce.
14:55The warrants are executed simultaneously.
14:58Two for the courier's homes and one for the ringleaders.
15:02The ringleader, he didn't have a significant criminal history by any means.
15:07However, there was a matter from 2016 of a fraud where he'd been working at a betting shop.
15:13I went on the search warrant for the ringleader.
15:16The car was there, the ringleader was there, and the main courier was at his address.
15:23The suspects are apprehended and read their rights.
15:27While the police start to search the different premises,
15:30looking for evidence relating to the crimes in Dorset.
15:34There were high-vis jackets in various locations.
15:37Really significant, and we found a shoebox in a cupboard with sterling notes wrapped with an elastic band.
15:44And there was £4,020.
15:47We seized four key phones that we wanted to get into as a priority in a matter of urgency.
15:53The phones go to the digital forensics unit.
15:56The team now have 24 hours to question the two suspects.
16:01I am DS Elena Jones. I'm based in Dorset Police.
16:05The CID department that I work in currently deals with serious and complex crime.
16:10Many suspects make no comment whatsoever during a custody interview.
16:15The police don't know what to expect when they begin the interrogation.
16:21How many times can you remember coming to Dorset?
16:25Not a lot. Three or four times.
16:27So you came three or four times?
16:29Yes. Okay.
16:30Where was that journey?
16:31To Bournemouth.
16:32It was to Bournemouth.
16:33And what car do you drive?
16:35I drive an Audi S3.
16:38You maybe anticipated a no-comment interview, but now they're talking to you.
16:42That can be helpful because there can be time-critical lines of enquiries that we can do
16:47if a suspect says, I was at this place, on this date, at this time.
16:51How frequently have you been travelling down to Bournemouth together?
16:54From my knowledge, there's only been two occasions.
16:56Once when I came down in the car, the S3, and once when I drove my own car.
17:00Yeah, okay. And that's it.
17:01And when were those times?
17:03I wouldn't be able to tell you off the top of my head.
17:06You've not asked at any point what the journey's for?
17:09It's not my business at all because I'm on what their intentions are or what they're doing.
17:14I've just gone as a friend.
17:15I haven't literally stated to him, I'm more than happy to come and keep you company for the journey.
17:19You can see how much he is willing to talk about.
17:22He's giving an account for movement.
17:25He's accepting that he's travelled down here.
17:28A black iPhone with, is it Balayaga on the back of the phone?
17:33Yeah.
17:34Whose phone is that?
17:35That's mine.
17:36That's your phone.
17:37What's the pin for that phone?
17:38I've got a lot of private stuff on my phone.
17:40If I don't, if I'm not obliged to disclose that, I would rather not.
17:43If someone doesn't want to give their PIN number, for me automatically alarm bells are ringing immediately.
17:49I'm thinking there must be information on that phone that I want to see and you don't want me to see.
17:54Is there going to be any communication on that device that shows your involvement in defrauding people of money?
18:03No.
18:05The interviewing officers build a picture of the suspect's relationship to each other.
18:10So I've known him since secondary school.
18:12And then how regular do you have contact with him?
18:14To be honest with you, I'm basically his daughter's uncle.
18:17So I have quite a lot.
18:19You're probably talking about three times a week.
18:22That male courier, we know that he worked in the prison service.
18:26We don't know whether maybe his calm, collected approach arose from familiarity with engaging with law enforcement.
18:32At the time he was on suspension for suspected wrongdoing, but he had no previous convictions.
18:38Prior to arrest, what phone were you using?
18:40DX.
18:41OK.
18:42And what's that pin?
18:432988.
18:44OK.
18:45So I completely mastered the research, which ended up making it do a full wipe of my phone.
18:53Did he wipe his phone to cover up his involvement in the fraud on the 29th of April,
18:58where the victim handed over £2,600 to couriers just hours before the stop and search in London?
19:07The victim was Chris, a 54-year-old bachelor and former coach driver living alone in Christchurch.
19:14On the 29th of April when they collected the money, your vehicle has activated an ANPR camera
19:20going in towards the border of Dorset around 4 o'clock in the afternoon
19:24and then heading out about an hour later at 5 past 5.
19:28Do you know what that journey was for on that day?
19:30I'm not too sure.
19:33Officers interview the suspects simultaneously, cross-referencing their accounts of the day to see if they match up.
19:40Mr *** earlier that day had handed a courier and a black Audi a sum of money in a white envelope.
19:49Is it a case of that you have gone down and collected this money and opened the envelope,
19:53and that envelope is from Mr ***, and that money is from...
19:58That's the fact that you have taken a white envelope.
20:00If we find that money, are we going to find any traces of his DNA on that money?
20:05No.
20:06On that money?
20:07OK.
20:09Let's talk about ***.
20:10When did he first get into that car that day?
20:12I believe we picked him up near the prison service.
20:14OK.
20:15And he just got suspended on that day.
20:17What's happened between half past nine in the morning of him being suspended,
20:20and then late in that afternoon, this gentleman has then had money collected,
20:26and then a couple of hours later you've been stopped in London in a car together?
20:30The interviews do highlight some discrepancies in the two suspects' stories.
20:35So on the day that you were suspended, *** came and collected you from your house,
20:39and you went for a drive around Wimbledon.
20:42That was in the afternoon?
20:43That was in the afternoon.
20:44I was with him for a while.
20:45OK.
20:46And I laughed and I choked in the car.
20:48OK.
20:49So we stopped.
20:50We had a bull in the car, we did a couple of kick-ups,
20:52and he said that he couldn't be asked to drive,
20:54and I said, well, I'm fully confident.
20:56So I drove in.
20:58So you were stopped at 6.42?
20:59Mm-hm.
21:00But that vehicle was down in Dorsey, so four o'clock in the afternoon?
21:03That's right.
21:04That's right.
21:05So he must have got...
21:06I don't know how he's managed to do that.
21:08And then it's heading out of Dorset at seven minutes past five that evening?
21:13Bloody hell.
21:14And then got down to...
21:15What's it called?
21:16London by 6.42?
21:17Yeah.
21:19But you did go to Dorset?
21:20I didn't go to Dorset.
21:23The narrative didn't fit at times,
21:26and once we clarified it,
21:28he maybe got a bit frustrated with that.
21:31Maybe he thought that he could give an account that wouldn't be questioned.
21:36Officers now turn their attention to the calls made to each victim.
21:42Are you responsible for making any phone calls to any of these victims?
21:45No.
21:46We've got Barbara .
21:47Does that name mean anything to you?
21:49No names that are on this will mean anything to you.
21:51OK.
21:52I've never seen them before, never looked at them.
21:54OK.
21:55Richard .
21:56And Christopher .
21:58OK.
21:59Finally, there's a major breakthrough.
22:03The ringleader admits that they are part of a wider network,
22:06and that the person making the calls is in India.
22:10Basil.
22:11I don't know his last name.
22:12Basil?
22:13Yeah, B-A-S-I-L.
22:14Have you ever met him?
22:15No.
22:16When did Basil contact you?
22:18I think it was probably about mid-March, beginning of April.
22:21The conversation was generally along the line of,
22:24I don't know if you want to make a little bit of extra money
22:27by just doing, you know, a few odd jobs for the company.
22:29And because their call centre's not in the UK,
22:32it's very hard for them to receive their mail and stuff like that.
22:35Mm-hm.
22:37The UK-based ringleader did tell us
22:39that he was working for a particular individual
22:42running an internet service provider.
22:44This was all legitimate and says that he was attending the addresses
22:48to collect faulty routers.
22:50The team are still waiting for the phone data
22:53to see if it proves they defrauded Chris on the 29th of April.
22:57But after 24 hours of intense interviews,
23:00the custody deadline is up.
23:03They have to let the suspects go.
23:05This is a serious and complex investigation
23:08and we were nowhere near ready to charge them.
23:14And the phone goes and this bloke comes on the line and he says,
23:21I'm from Virgin, London and all this.
23:24And we go right through the system
23:26and he brings everything up on the screen.
23:28What do you want all this information for?
23:30He said, well, I'm trying to get you connected to the internet online.
23:34It didn't register, you know, obviously it didn't register.
23:37Dorset police are investigating claims from three local pensioners
23:43who have been swindled out of over £20,000 between them.
23:48Fraud accounts for over 40% of all crimes.
23:52An officer suspect this is the work of an international organised crime gang.
23:58I was confident that we were dealing with the right people,
24:01but like any criminal investigation, we need to prove our case.
24:05We need to prove that they went to Dorset.
24:08We need to prove that they knew that they were committing fraud.
24:12After an agonising ten-day wait,
24:15the Digital Forensics Unit delivered the data.
24:18Once we had got into the suspect's mobile phone data,
24:23we knew the offence timeframes, we knew from ANPR
24:27the dates and times that the offenders had travelled down to Dorset.
24:30The huge challenge now is to prove
24:33how an internationally organised fraud has been executed.
24:37Someone in the call centre in India would be on the phone
24:39because they'd go between their victim and the courier
24:43to make sure that they went to the right place
24:45and that the money was ready and waiting for them.
24:47The ringleader and the person in India worked together in this country,
24:51so they knew each other.
24:53They weren't just brought together through criminality.
24:56The ringleader involved the others and pressed on them
24:59because of their friendship and they wanted to earn some extra cash.
25:03It played out within the WhatsApp messages.
25:06So we had reference to Barbara.
25:08The ringleader would say,
25:10yeah, we're good to leave London.
25:12How much is it? Does she have the cash?
25:16This was gold dust for us.
25:20Phone evidence could be crucial.
25:23You had the person in India and the ringleader and the main courier
25:28and another courier talking to each other
25:31and describing the events that were unfolding that we already knew about.
25:36So around the time that they were defrauding Barbara,
25:39we had the main ringleader messaging the other courier
25:42to say that there was a police helicopter in the air.
25:45He used the phrase, duck it out, so get out of there.
25:48The cops are around, if you like.
25:50We had the main courier messaging the ringleader to say,
25:54do I really have to go down to Dorset on my own?
25:57It's a bit risky.
25:59The WhatsApp messages indicate that they were up to no good.
26:03But officers need to prove that they are involved in a scam.
26:06Deep digital searches throw up some vital evidence.
26:11We knew the hierarchy.
26:14It informed us about how busy that team were.
26:18There was a photograph of quite a crude Excel spreadsheet
26:22sent between the ringleader and the person in India.
26:25And that all related to how much cut the ringleader was going to get in the UK
26:30as opposed to how much money was being sent back to India.
26:33The ringleader was getting 18% of anything that he collected.
26:38The scammers were using Hawala, a controversial money transfer system
26:43that allows funds to be moved between countries without leaving a trace.
26:49If you make money through crime, you have to get rid of that money somehow.
26:53You have to conceal it.
26:54They were going into a foreign exchange bureau in London,
26:57depositing large amounts of sterling,
26:59and then that was being realised in India in rupees.
27:04The messages also exposed the true character
27:07of these callous scammers.
27:10There were some really awful, saddening,
27:12despicable things in those messages about our victims,
27:15about them being vulnerable, about them falling for it.
27:18This person's gullible.
27:20It was quite personal in terms of the fact that we've got another victim
27:24and this is how easy it's going to be for us.
27:26The WhatsApp traffic included deeply disturbing evidence
27:30from another unidentified member of the gang.
27:35When Barbara went to the bank for the last time,
27:37she came back from the bank in a red coat.
27:39The police had gone there to try and find out what was going on
27:42and they escorted her home to get some more information
27:45about what was happening.
27:46And at that very time, one of the couriers is sitting in her row
27:49waiting to collect the cash.
27:51The female courier took a photograph of Barbara,
27:54sent it to the ringleader, who was back in London,
27:57saying, the cops are here, what do you want me to do?
28:00And he told her to back out and to return back.
28:02And she said, are you sure there's only one of them,
28:05or where's that effect?
28:07And he said, yeah, come back, because of the risk.
28:10I knew, having seen that in the report,
28:12that's going to be really important for us,
28:14to prove her guilt.
28:16As DC Norman and the team try to piece together
28:19this hugely complex puzzle,
28:22the data confirms their worst fears,
28:24that the three Dorset victims are not alone.
28:29There was another photograph of a lady holding up
28:32a spread of cash to the screen.
28:35Well, clearly this is another victim.
28:37And we could see other names, other addresses,
28:42on other dates.
28:43So it led to another nine victims being identified.
28:46It was nationwide.
28:48Luton, Huddersfield, Manchester, London.
28:52So one of the nine victims that we identified
28:55was a lady from the London area.
28:58He knew how old I was.
29:00He knew how I paid my bill.
29:02He knew everything about me.
29:05Then he said to me, oh, you don't even sound like your age.
29:09I thought, oh, he was very nice and all that,
29:12not knowing he was the wickedest person in the world.
29:17She was typical of the ultra-vulnerable victims
29:19that had already been targeted.
29:22Victims may feel gullible or stupid when they are frauded,
29:26because they believed that they should have acted in a different way.
29:30This 76-year-old grandmother is an active member of her local church
29:35and wishes to remain anonymous.
29:37I was very upset.
29:38I didn't even know where to start to tell my family.
29:42It wasn't easy for me at all.
29:45The criminals use social engineering.
29:48This is a skill which engages people's emotions
29:51so it bypasses their critical thinking.
29:54I was like a robot.
29:56Do this, do that.
29:58And I don't know where I was at the moment.
30:01So I went to the bank, withdraw the money,
30:04not knowing he was tracking me.
30:07So when I go home, oh, you are home now.
30:10How did he know I'm home?
30:12Then he said, oh, somebody will come and pick the money up.
30:16The minute he finished saying that, the bell rang,
30:19and I went outside and gave the 2,000 to the person.
30:25I was not thinking right.
30:27It's just like somebody putting a spell on you
30:30to do things that they want you to do.
30:33In total, she was defrauded of over £17,000.
30:39With all the victims, this crime has impacted them,
30:42whether it's financially, practically, emotionally.
30:46For about two months, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat.
30:50I didn't know what I was doing with myself.
30:53With at least 12 victims, Dorset police now have a mammoth
30:58nationwide investigation on their hands.
31:02We were able to identify from a geographical area
31:05which constabulary is responsible for that person.
31:08And some of the victims had actually reported those matters
31:11already to their local police force.
31:14Officers pieced together the information coming back
31:18from forces around the country.
31:20And at last, a year since the start of the investigation,
31:24there's a major breakthrough.
31:27Elderly people are very good at making notes.
31:29They kept telling me they were from transglobal services
31:32and they gave me the password motorcycle,
31:34which featured in all our crimes.
31:37This vital piece of information links all the victims nationally,
31:42allowing Dorset police to piece together the operation.
31:45They were younger people, 20s and 30s.
31:50I guess during lockdown, they saw opportunities.
31:53The ringleader and the person in India had come together
31:56by working for a telecommunications company in this country.
32:00So there was a common interest and a common knowledge.
32:03And whether that gave them the requisite skills in IT,
32:07whether potentially it gave them access to records about people
32:11with speculation.
32:15Thirteen months after the first interviews,
32:17Dorset police called the two main suspects in for a second interview.
32:23You're here on a voluntary attendance basis.
32:25So you're not under arrest?
32:26Yeah.
32:27The victim...
32:28Does that name mean anything to you?
32:31No comment.
32:32Have you travelled up to Huddersfield?
32:34No comment.
32:35She withdrew £4,700 that was collected by a courier,
32:39and the courier is described as male, oriental, about 20 years old,
32:43five foot ten, short, dark hair, wearing a mid-grey tracksuit.
32:47Does that match your description?
32:48No comment.
32:49Oriental in appearance?
32:50No comment.
32:51Five foot ten?
32:52No comment.
32:53Short, dark hair, which you have?
32:54No comment.
32:55She described that person because you collected the money, didn't you?
32:57No comment.
32:58When DC Norman presented the suspects with this damning evidence,
33:03they answered no comment to all questions posed.
33:09Undeterred, they bring in the female courier who'd appeared
33:12in the WhatsApp messages.
33:14The female courier, she had no previous convictions
33:17and little criminal history.
33:18She had been used on a couple of runs.
33:21She was known to both of the suspects.
33:23They clearly have some form of history,
33:26so we wanted to explore what her role was
33:29and how much she knew about what she was doing.
33:31Our inquiries indicate that you may have been involved
33:35in going to collect money from elderly people.
33:38Do you understand that?
33:39Yes, I understand.
33:40I did not want to know it was fraud.
33:42I didn't know that it was causing all this trouble
33:45to these elderly people.
33:47I only thought that I was collecting a parcel,
33:49giving it to .
33:50That's all I knew.
33:51Okay.
33:52So I would drive to the address he gave me.
33:55Yeah.
33:56And then he said he'd give me a special password.
33:59Do you remember what that password was?
34:01I actually do, because they were quite silly words like motorcycle.
34:04Motorcycle.
34:05Did he give you the name of the person?
34:07No.
34:08I mean, he'd just say, as soon as I've got the parcel,
34:11to call him and to tell him and then to go straight to him.
34:14The only thing I wasn't allowed to do was open them.
34:19She very much distanced herself from the offending,
34:22saying that she was not the wiser
34:24and had some legitimate reason for the travel
34:27and engagement with the UK-based ringleader.
34:30She had a general idea that he worked in car parts,
34:33so that kind of made sense to her.
34:35And she got paid a pretty small amount,
34:37£50 a trip, plus some expenses.
34:40From what you've said, you were instructed by .
34:43Is that right?
34:44Yes.
34:45Is that right on all occasions,
34:46or did anyone else tell you what to do?
34:47No, I was told by .
34:49Okay.
34:50Was there any pressure to do what you did for him?
34:53Not pressure.
34:54What?
34:55Looking back at it now, knowing the severity...
35:00No, I don't think it was pressure,
35:02but if I had been told the whole circumstances,
35:06that would have been a complete different story.
35:10When I checked my phone,
35:15I found out that the bank had been sending messages.
35:21I checked on my account and found out that everything was gone.
35:27I nearly killed myself.
35:32Dorset Police Special Ops CID are working hard to gather evidence
35:36to convict an organised crime gang, targeting the vulnerable and elderly during lockdown.
35:43From dealing with frauds previously of like MO, we have seen this,
35:48where there is an international element to the operation.
35:51D.C. Norman is interviewing a female courier who maintains that she is an innocent participant in the fraud.
35:59She very much downplayed any involvement or guilty knowledge.
36:03She said that she was running errands for the ringleader.
36:07D.C. Norman shares some ANPR evidence proving her car travelled from London to Barbara's house on the 5th of May to collect cash.
36:26The maps I'm showing you now relates to a fence that happened on the 5th of May 2020 in relation to Barbara .
36:34This map shows a silver voxel courser with your registration number.
36:38And it shows it's starting at 10.27 in the morning in this area of London.
36:43That's a route that your car took on the 5th of May.
36:47OK. Do you remember making that journey?
36:49No, but if it's my car then for sure it was me because no-one else drives it.
36:53Again, I don't want to say I did because I don't.
36:56OK.
36:58Still underplaying her involvement, D.C. Norman shares her WhatsApp messages with the UK ringleader.
37:05Related to the journey that happened on the 5th of May in relation to Barbara the victim.
37:10So he texts you the postcode at about 10.30 in the morning.
37:13And then you've messaged him at 20 past 11.
37:16Forgot to say, but we are already on our way.
37:21You then messaged him to say, Feds here.
37:23And that's six minutes past two.
37:25What did you mean by that?
37:26Well, Feds, I say police.
37:29That must have been the day that the police was there and I was told to call .
37:33Did you know he was interested in why the police were there?
37:36No.
37:37Did that cause you any concern at all?
37:38No, because while I was doing this, I wasn't really doing it with an intention that I was committing a crime.
37:43So I wasn't really thinking of why.
37:46OK.
37:47So you messaged him at seven minutes past two.
37:50No with us, but it's only one guy.
37:53Do you mean one guy as it's only one policeman?
37:56I don't recall.
37:58OK.
37:59Do you remember sending an image to ?
38:03I believe so, yeah, that day I did.
38:06OK.
38:07So in this picture, there's a police car, there's a policeman and there's an elderly lady in a red jacket.
38:12Did you know who that lady was or what the relevance of that lady in the red jacket?
38:16No.
38:17I didn't know that lady and I didn't know anyone that had met.
38:21The ringleader had told her to abort the pickup.
38:24He said, just head home and I'll pay you later.
38:27He said, yeah, all right.
38:29You said, don't you want us to wait till they go?
38:31They went inside some house.
38:34Is that right?
38:36It's a civilian.
38:38What it might look like to myself and others potentially is that you knew that you were collecting cash
38:44and that you knew that there was a risk in it.
38:46When you've seen the police, you've panicked a bit.
38:49You know, because I didn't know I was collecting the cash, so there was nothing to be scared of.
38:54Despite the female courier denying she knew that the pickup was a criminal act,
38:59the photograph of Barbara and the messages appear to prove otherwise.
39:05Dorset police and the CPS charged the three suspects with a series of courier fraud offences
39:11committed between the 23rd of April and the 5th of June, 2020.
39:17The CPS authorised charges.
39:19It's an overriding conspiracy to commit fraud.
39:22With a conspiracy, you can include multiple offences over a specific period of time.
39:26They stole over £70,000 nationwide in a matter of weeks.
39:33And this could be just the tip of the iceberg of a massive international operation,
39:39headed up by Basil, who remains elusive in India.
39:42It's frustrating that we haven't been able to prosecute the overseas offender.
39:50He wasn't within UK, governed by UK law, in which case we could deal with him proactively.
39:54We shared information in relation to him with relevant law enforcement agencies internationally,
39:59so that they could complete inquiries on our behalf.
40:04It would just be nice to know that he was facing justice in one way or another.
40:11After four years investigating 12 frauds carried out all over the country,
40:16the court date is set for April 2024.
40:19We had our team in place, witnesses in place.
40:24Our case is watertight and robust.
40:27But DC Norman receives tragic news that could jeopardise the entire prosecution.
40:34Barbara was, she would have been one of our star witnesses.
40:37She'd been through an awful lot.
40:38She'd been a victim multiple times.
40:40She'd lost a significant amount of money.
40:43However, Barbara had been taken into hospital with ill health,
40:47and she wasn't going to be able to attend court.
40:51But in a bizarre twist of fate, two months prior to the trial,
40:56the suspects appear to lose their nerve.
40:59The ringleader pleaded guilty on the 28th of February 2023.
41:03They know what the evidence is, and they can't provide a reasonable account for it
41:07because they're guilty.
41:08Shortly after, the main courier follows suit.
41:13We've put them into a corner by saying,
41:15look, this is the strength of the evidence.
41:18Are you going to stand there in front of a jury of 12
41:21and explain your involvement in this case
41:24and hope to convince them that you're not guilty?
41:28When the trial begins, only the female courier still maintains her plea of not guilty.
41:34The female courier actually pleaded guilty a couple of days ago.
41:37probably a couple of days into proceedings.
41:40She waited right to the last minute.
41:42Those little golden nuggets like the photograph was really crucial
41:47because she must have reached a point where she could say,
41:49well, I can't explain why I took that photo other than I was involved in this crime.
41:53Now all three have entered a plea of guilty.
41:58The court retires for the judge to decide their sentences.
42:01A female courier got 16 months in prison, suspended for two years, but she also got 280 hours unpaid work.
42:11The main courier got 32 months in prison.
42:15The ringleader.
42:17The sentencing started at six years, but because he pleaded guilty, an early opportunity that was reduced to four years.
42:25I was really satisfied with the outcome. It was four years of work.
42:30The victims in this case all lost a significant amount of money, £71,000 in total, £44,000 directly through courier collections.
42:40And very sadly, in the intervening period between what would have been the trial and the sentencing, Barbara died of ill health.
42:47So she never saw them being sentenced.
42:51I do think it's sad that Barbara and Richard passed away.
42:56They were targeted by the offenders in their final few years and the impact that that will have had on their lives.
43:02Fraud is escalating. For the 80% that aren't reporting, please do report to us.
43:06We don't think you're stupid. We don't think you're gullible.
43:08And that information, you could save somebody else.
43:12I was happy that they pleaded guilty. Yeah, I was very happy.
43:17They could have given them more years. Yes.
43:20Because to do someone, you can kill someone. So they should have given them more years.
43:47If they are the result, they are the ones.
44:04Of sav EnergiINE, they are crucial for that.