A man from South London who committed £233,000 of fraud has been sentenced (3 August 2023) at Winchester Crown Court to two years and two months in prison.

Ho Yin Hoey Tai, 28, a Hong Kong national and student in South London, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud by false representation, two counts of possession of an identity document with improper intent and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud. This followed a successful investigation by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), a specialist police unit that is funded by the banking and finance industry.

Between 23rd March 2022 and 14th April, Tai impersonated three bank customers, using falsified identity documents to change account details and subsequently make high end spends on the accounts at luxury retailers and transfer money to his own personal account.

During this period, Tai went to bank branches in Hammersmith and Clapham and attempted to change personal details on the three accounts, including the phone number and address by using a fake passport in the account holder’s name but with his own photograph. Whilst Tai attempted this on three customer accounts, he was however only successful on one occasion.

Once doing so, Tai then ordered a new bank card which was delivered to the new address and unauthorised purchases were then made using this new card, amounting to around £20,000.
 

On 3rd May 2023, the defendant pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud by false representation and two counts of possession of an identity document with improper intent.

Further evidence was found on the Tai’s phone following his arrest to show that he was actively involved in a conspiracy to defraud a further two victims’ accounts at another bank, with losses of over £213,000. The further evidence shows that Tai was working with others to actively take over high value accounts of Chinese nationals by utilising false documentation to change the account details of customer accounts - specifically address and phone numbers.

Ho Yin Hoey Tai pleaded guilty and received a custodial sentence of two years and two months. The victims were refunded by their bank.

Detective Sergeant Ben Hurley, at the DCPCU, said:

Ho Yin Hoey Tai heartlessly stole defrauded innocent individuals with no thought towards the ramifications of such a crime.

Fortunately, we were able to identify him and put a stop to his criminal activity, after working closely with the banking and finance industry.

This sentencing will warn anyone who believes they can benefit financially from committing fraud, showing that they will be caught and brought to justice.