A callous fraudster who targeted an elderly couple in a brazen £25,000 banking scam is facing jail.
Paul McEnhill, 27, received money from Thomas Docherty, 73, and Margaret Baillie, 82, after tricking them into transferring thousands of pounds. Docherty, of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, received a phone call from a man who claimed he was called Malcolm and was head of Virgin Money’s CID department.
The caller told Docherty £5,000 had been swiped from his account and to get it back he would have to make a transaction to help Virgin Money identify a rogue employee who had stolen the cash.
Docherty was told not to tell anyone and when he questioned the mystery caller he was given a number to call where a person would confirm ‘Malcolm’ as head of Virgin Money’s CID unit.
The hoax caller then told Docherty to go to a bank branch and transfer £4,900 and say the money was for his granddaughter.
Docherty was then told his wife’s account had been targeted and ordered to transfer a further £9,500. Bank staff became suspicious at the amount of money being moved and called in police in October 2022.
McEnhill, of Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted the fraud which saw him obtain a total of £24,140 from his victims. Describing the moment the fraud was brought to light, depute fiscal Carla McGuire said: “At 9am Docherty’s phone rang with a private number and on answering it it was the call from previous days.
“He told Docherty that Baillie’s account had had a further £5,000 taken from it and told Docherty he would need to access his internet banking to pay back the funds and gave Docherty a pin to access the banking which worked.
“He also asked Docherty for his 16 digit card number and told Docherty that Baillie would have to go to the bank again but he was reluctant due to her poor health but the caller was insistent that she would lose her money otherwise.
“They returned to the Rutherglen branch of Virgin Money with the caller remaining on the phone whilst they conducted the transaction. Docherty was recognised by a staff member and the transfer was refused on the basis that they were making such large transactions in short succession and the branch manager was made aware and phoned 999.
“Docherty told the unknown caller that the police had been contacted and he then hung up, telling Docherty he would be back in touch within half an hour but he did not call back.”
Police successfully tracked down McEnhill after it emerged he used his own bank details for one of the transfers.
The court heard £9,500 has been returned to Docherty.
Sheriff John Speir deferred sentence on McEnhill until November for reports and continued bail.
The sheriff said: “Given their age this must have been a very distressing experience for them both.
“You have pled guilty to what in any view is a predatory financial crime on people who are vulnerable because of their age and you should be under no illusion that all options including a custodial sentence are going to be open to me.”
McEnhill’s former partner Caitlin Fordyce, 25, had her not guilty plea accepted by prosecutors.
Virgin Money declined to comment.
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