TEEN SENTENCED FOR PART IN £9k FRAUD
A TEENAGER has been ordered to pay compensation to Lloyds TSB after he narrowly avoided jail for his part in an internet scam.
At Fenland Magistrates on Tuesday, Ronaldas Janusevicius (18) was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order, on top of paying 603 to the bank and 75 costs.
Janusevicius, of 143 Elwyn Road, March, previously admitted fraudulently obtaining 9,000 through a bank transfer from another account.
Andrew Williams, prosecuting, said the victim, Benjamin Burnip, received an email from someone reporting to be from Lloyds TSB, asking for an update of his internet banking log-in details.
Mr Burnip supplied the information, believing the request to have come from the bank.
However, the bank wrote to Mr Burnip advising of unusual activity in his account, in that an overdraft was increased by 9,000 and a loan had been requested.
Janusevicius had earlier provided his bank account details to an unknown man, who then transferred the 9,000 from Mr Burnip’s account to him. Two withdrawals totalling 603 were made on April 21 and 22 from a Natwest ATM in Leicester Square, London.
Lloyds TSB reimbursed Mr Burnip with the balance of 8,397 on May 4 and the bank was made liable for the rest of the money.
Janusevicius admitted knowing the money was stolen, but denied sending the email or obtaining Mr Burnip’s bank account details.
Ben Pearson, defending, said Janusevicius had come to England from Lithuania in September of last year, leaving his mother, father and two brothers behind.
Mr Pearson, referring to his client as an “unwitting dupe”, said: “He got into financial difficulty and unfortunately got drawn into this.
“He had only recently turned 18 at this time so he was less sophisticated, clearly, than those who set up the scam.”
In sentencing, presiding magistrate Peter Waterfield agreed Janusevicius hadn’t been the one who sent the email and that he had been “unwittingly drawn” into it.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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