Telford bank staff conned into handing over £5,600 by trickster

Joseph Thomas Mason, 35, was described by his own solicitor as having "the worst record of dishonesty I have ever seen" – but has avoided jail for the fraud committed in Wellington last year.

Mason, who admitted one charge of fraud, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

He was a seasoned confidence trickster with a string of similar frauds on his record, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard.

He targeted the Wellington branch of Lloyds on November 23 last year and said he was Daryl Jacobs – the name of a genuine Lloyds customer he had discovered.

Philip Beardwell, prosecuting, said: "A number of employees were fooled into believing he was someone else."

He told a member of front desk staff he had lost his platinum card and had already spoken to the manager, whose name he got from a sign on the wall behind him.

After signing a document Mason, of Warstones Crescent, Wolverhampton, asked for a print-out of his account.

He then went to see another member of staff to ask to withdraw £850 from Mr Jacobs's current account, and was again asked to sign something. The clerk did not think the signatures matched, but was told it was okay by the woman who had just seen Mason.

He then asked if he could transfer £1,750 to a Barclays account, but when told there would be a £25 charge asked to withdraw it instead, which again was agreed. Finally he asked to withdraw another £3,000.

The clerk was by then "totally convinced he was who he said he was, and did not feel she needed to verify", Mr Beardwell said.

Mason was arrested in April. He had 65 fraud offences on his record and was already under a suspended sentence.

Richard Davenport, for Mason, said: "This is the worst record of dishonesty I have ever seen."

Mason was ordered to pay £390 costs and a £100 victim surcharge. Mr Jacobs had been paid back by the bank, the court was told.