An Edinburgh fraudster emptied his estranged husband’s bank account after claiming he’d “treated me so badly” during their marriage.
Raymond Culross phoned Bank of Scotland and pretended to be his ex-partner, giving account details to transfer £2,700 to himself.
Victim Michael Todd called in police and they obtained the recording of Culross duping bank staff.
Culross, 60, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday and pled guilty to obtaining the cash by fraud.
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Fiscal depute Bernadette Cuthbertson said Michael had attempted to withdraw money but was told by bank workers his account held no funds.
Ms Cuthbertson said all of the cash had been transferred to an account in the name of ‘Ray’ on August 23 last year.
Cops listened to a recording of the call to the bank where Culross gave Michael’s details to carry out the fraudulent transaction.
The court heard Culross told officers: “As I said before, I did it because he treated me so badly and took so much money from me. I do regret it.”
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Defence agent Peter Barr said the matter was “complicated” as his client and Michael were “proceeding to divorce”.
Mr Barr said Culross didn’t have any “significant funds” but was in the process of retiring so his financial situation may change.
The solicitor said Culross took the money as an “impulsive action”.
Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss told Culross he had “pretended to be your ex-partner and cleaned out his bank account”.
The sheriff deferred sentence on Culross, of the city’s Granton area, for six months to allow him to assess his financial situation and see if the missing money could be repaid.
