A couple who managed to con their colleagues out of £76,000 by taking photographs of their bank cards and driving licences have been jailed for theft and fraud.
Anil Mawkin, 61, was sentenced to three years and four months in custody while wife, Sukhbir Mawkin, 49, received a two-year suspended sentence and 300 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard how the couple went on 'shopping sprees' with the cash, sourced by Mrs Mawkin while she worked at accountancy firm EY.
In an abuse of position, the executive assistant routinely stole payment card and personal details from a large number of colleagues while working at the organisation.
She did this by intercepting mail and removing cards and driving licences from colleagues' wallets and photographing them.
Mawkin and his wife then used the stolen details to buy items including mobile phones and clothing, with a total of £76,000 of goods bought between May 2015 and April 2019.
The goods were delivered to unsuspecting work-at-home secretaries, whom the couple had contacted and made arrangements with under false pretences.
After being caught, Mr Mawkin then began making a series of fraudulent applications to credit providers in the names of EY employees, to try and make it look like the fraud was being carried out by persons other than himself and his wife.
The couple from Cheam, Sutton, today pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation following an investigation by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), a specialist police unit funded by the banking and cards industry.
Detective Constable Dave Hughes, who investigated the case for the DCPCU, said : "This husband and wife wrongfully thought they could get away with funding their lifestyle by committing over £76,000 of fraud.
"Sukhbir Mawkin abused her position to steal personal details from colleagues, which were then used to go on a shopping spree.
"Fortunately, we were able to use advanced intelligence methods to detect these fraudsters, working closely with EY to bring them to justice.
"This sentencing is a warning to those who believe they can benefit financially from fraud that they will be caught and punished."
