Dagenham man jailed for £731k fraud of bank customers

A man from Dagenham has been jailed for four years for committing more than £731,000 of fraud.

Paul Williams, 38, of Goresbrook Road, was found to have abused his former position at a bank in Kensington to access customers’ accounts between June and August 2016.

Williams was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on September 23, 2021 for the fraud of £731,555. 

Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) Det Con Jason Bradley-Holden said: “Williams acted with impunity and thought he could get away with committing nearly £732,000 of fraud.

“This case shows that anyone who is caught abusing the trust placed in them by their employer will be punished.” 

The fraud was spotted by the bank and referred to DCPCU.  

Williams was arrested on August 18, 2016 and found in possession of a fraudulently completed CHAPS payment form and paperwork containing a customer’s bank account details. 

A text message sent to Williams about a criminal who would be visiting the branch to undertake a fraudulent transaction was found on his phone.

CCTV identified a number of people purporting to be the genuine customers attending the branch and being served by Williams. 

UK Finance says all victims were fully refunded.