The sentencing follows investigation and arrest by specialist banking industry sponsored police unit, the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU).

Between September 2021 and January 2025, Tai Buchanan, 27, Wayne Field, 47, and Dashem Tesfamichael, 41, worked together to commit the fraud, after obtaining stolen customer banking information online.

Tai Buchanan, the son of Wayne Field, would recruit people to go into bank branches and impersonate genuine customers by using the obtained stolen information. The recruited accomplices would then attempt to gain access to customer accounts and withdraw cash directly if successful.

Simultaneously, Wayne Field and Dashem Tesfamichael used stolen information to impersonate genuine account holders over the phone to gain access to their accounts. From there, they would steal money from the victims’ accounts.

Field, Buchanan and Tesfamichael also used the stolen information to upload victims’ cards onto mobile phones in their control. These would then be used for purchases at shops.

Through the police’s investigation, they found stolen personal and banking information of victims on devices belonging to Buchanan and Tesfamichael. They also found messages where the three fraudsters would discuss their crimes.

Wayne Field received five years and seven months in prison and Tai Buchanan received a 20-month suspended sentence. Dashem Tesfamichael received three years and one month in prison. Due to a previous murder conviction of which he was on licence for at the time of his arrest, Tesfamichael will not have his remand period taken from his fraud sentence.

All victims were fully refunded by the banks.

T/Detective Sergeant Matthew Cornell said: 

This sentencing sends a clear message: those who exploit innocent people for financial gain will be held accountable. These three individuals deliberately targeted banking customers, causing real harm and distress. 

"I am proud of the collaborative efforts between the banking sector and the DCPCU which led to their conviction and put a stop to this crime.