Cheque fraud at Thurrock Council adds up to £25,000

FRAUDSTERS netted £250,000 from Thurrock Council in an invoice scam that saw a woman called Ding Ding pocketing £15,000 from a man called Dong.

Unfortunately for the 24-year-old university student she has now been found guilty as the fraudsters’ almost comic caper has seen the crooks brought to account before the courts.

However, it is no laughing matter for insurers of the Council’s business partners Vertex who have had to cover the loss to taxpayers from a crime that began with the introduction of a new computer system on April 1.

The latest saga in the bid to con the council ended at Chelmsford Crown Court this week where Swansea University student Ding Ding, of Peckham, London, was found guilty of handling stolen cash.

Now she must wait to hear her fate though has been told by Judge Christopher Ball that she will be spared prison when she returns to court for sentencing on November 24.

Sentencing was postponed and Ding was remanded on conditional bail for pre-sentence reports. Ding had denied money laundering offences of possessing criminal property and transferring criminal property, which totalled £34,000, but was only convicted on the fourth and last offence of which she was accused.

This involved the transfer of some £15,000.

Others involved in the scam had previously been sentenced in connection with fraud totalling £250,000.

Prosecuting counsel, Ian Boyes, had told jurors: “All this arises out of a fraud committed on Thurrock Borough Council. “On 26 May, 2006, the Chief Financial Officer contacted police about an investigation into the loss of significant amounts of money.

“A new computer system was introduced on April 1, 2006 and between then and May 26 1,000 invoices were paid and 21 were fraudulent.”

Police then discovered £19,856 had been paid into a bank account held by a woman named Ding Ding.

However, it didn’t end there as the jury heard how money from that account was later transferred to two other accounts in the name of Gai and Dong.

The prosecution alleges Miss Ding was involved in handling money from the fraud.

She denied two charges of possessing criminal property and two charges of transferring £19,856 and £19,532.

Mr Boyes told the court Ding was arrested when she went to renew her student visa so she could start a business studies course in Swansea.

When questioned about the fraud, Ding later told police she had been approached by a man called Dong. She claimed he told her he was having problems with his bank account and asked to use her account.

Andrew Hardingham, Thurrock Council’s Corporate Director of Resources, said following the jury’s decision that he can reassure the borough’s council tax payers that no money was lost by this fraud.

The council was reimbursed in full by the insurers of the council’s Strategic Partner, Vertex. Any monies recovered by the courts will be returned to Vertex or their insurer.

A council statement said: “The council’s and Vertex’s management controls picked up the fraud initially which led to a temporary member of staff being identified, dismissed and escorted from the premises by police.

"More stringent controls were quickly put in place since to ensure this cannot happen again.”

Thurrock Gazette