Source: Africa Publicity
A man said to be the United Kingdom (UK’s) ‘biggest fraudster’ has been ordered to hand over £400,000, despite an estimated 70,000 victims losing over £100 million to his fraudulent scheme.
Tejay Fletcher, 38, reportedly ran iSpoof, a service that let criminals disguise their phone numbers to appear as if calls came from major UK banks including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest and Santander. Around 70,000 people were tricked into revealing banking security details.
Fletcher appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, where Judge Alexander Milne approved a confiscation order for his remaining assets.
Prosecutors said Fletcher personally profited £3.5 million, but investigators could only trace £404,000 in recoverable assets.
Recoverable assets include a Lamborghini Urus valued at about £150,000 and three minibuses Fletcher had given to a charity. The court designated the vehicles as “tainted gifts” and they have since been sold. Fletcher’s barrister, Simon Baker KC, told the court his client had surrendered rights to all traceable assets, including his stake in the company holding the luxury car.
At its peak, iSpoof had 59,000 users and enabled up to 20 people per minute to be targeted using spoofing technology. The service operated openly online and was promoted on Telegram channels, with subscriptions ranging from £150 to £5,000 a month and introductory offers from £10 for 20 minutes.
Fraudsters using iSpoof impersonated staff from Halifax, First Direct, Nationwide, TSB and other banks. Scotland Yard sent warning texts to 70,000 people in 2022, advising them their personal information had likely been compromised.
Prosecutors described Fletcher as a low-level offender with limited technical expertise who relied on skilled marketing to grow the operation.
