A criminal who committed over £115,000 of cheque fraud at bank branches across the UK has been jailed for 27 months.
Colin Mosdell, 33, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation after an investigation found he had used counterfeit drivers’ licences and cheques featuring fake signatures to impersonate business customers and fraudulently withdraw money from their accounts.
The conman targeted over 18 high street banks up and down the country, from Plymouth to Sheffield.
He stole a total of £115,064 between 15 October 2017 and 23 December 2018, making a series of withdrawals worth between £1,000 and £5,000.
A further £21,670 worth of fraud was blocked by bank staff, after Lloyds workers reported suspicious activity to police arm the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU).
CCTV footage showed the fraudster was smartly dressed and grinning as he tried to persuade bank branch staff that he was a genuine customer.
The DCPCU tracked Mosdell down and arrested him in Northampton on 12 March 2019. By the time of his arrest he was wanted by four police forces across the country.
A search of the flat in Northampton that Mosdell was residing in at the time found a series of hand-written notes with attempted fake signatures on them.
Colin Mosdell, originally from Northamptonshire, also had a previous conviction for burglary and robbery from August 2016 and another conviction for 21 burglaries from 2011.
Detective Constable Alex Coubrough, who investigated the case, said: "Mosdell was a prolific offender who thought he could make easy money from fraud. He travelled the length and breadth of the country, using sophisticated fake documents to defraud businesses out of over £115,000.
"Working closely with the banking industry we were able to identify this repeat fraudster and bring him to justice. This sentence sends a strong message that banks and the police take fraud extremely seriously and those responsible will be caught and punished."
All victims were fully refunded.
Protect your identity from fraud
Always use different passwords for different accounts – particularly for your email account and online banking.
Always destroy personal IDs and bank cards after they expire - both the DVLA and Passport Office will ask that you return old documents that you no longer need. If you lose your ID, report it as lost or stolen.
Invest in a shredder for disposing of any bank statements and documents with your address, name or sensitive details on.
When using public computers, always tick the 'do not save' box when entering your password. Likewise, avoid using public wi-fi to access accounts on the go.
Before entering payment details online check the link is secure. There should be a padlock symbol in the browser window frame (not the page itself), and the web address should being with 'https://'. The 's' stands for 'secure'.
On social media, always use privacy settings to ensure that only friends and family can see your posts.
Set up a passcode on your phone to prevent it from being used in the event of it being lost or stolen.
Regularly check your credit reference files as this will flag up any unusual credit applications, loans and more in your name.
