Fraudster faces the next 8 years behind bars

A Chertsey man is facing the next eight years behind bars after pleading guilty of fleecing thousands of pounds from his elderly victims.

Hughie Smith, 49, from Fernlands Close, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Friday, 3 March after he pleaded guilty to a number of fraud offences.

This sentencing comes as a result of joint working between Surrey and Sussex police forces as well as Trading Standards.

Smith approached an elderly couple in Knaphill in 2015 offering to fix a brick wall in their front garden. This led to him intimidating them to having more work done around their property that they did not need charging them obscene amounts of money for poor quality work.

The money taken from this one couple built up to £180,000 with Smith continuing to scam his victims with follow up calls which led to their son becoming suspicious and calling the police. Further investigation revealed this to be part of a large scale ‘rogue trader’ style fraud operating across Surrey and Sussex with Smith at its head.

Trading Standards attended the home of the victims to assess the work carried out by Smith in order to give their opinion as to how much should actually have been charged. This revealed that the couple had been over charged by more than £100,000.

Denise Turner-Stewart, Surrey County Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities and Community Safety, said: “We are pleased this shameless individual and his accomplices have been brought to justice.

“To deliberately target vulnerable people in this way is appalling, and I hope it brings some comfort to the victims to know those involved will now get the punishment they deserve.

“The sentencing is testament to the partnership working between our Trading Standards team and Surrey and Sussex police forces, and we thank them for their help on this. Together, we’ll continue to do all we can to keep residents safe.”

Smith also targeted victims in Sussex. In one case, he took almost £200,000 in total from one victim over the period of nine months. Smith was supported in his offending by his sons, Michael and John.

Michael Smith, 30, of Orchard Way, Addlestone, and John Smith, 25, of Highdown Lane, Banstead, were both found guilty of money laundering at Hove Crown Court on Friday, 3 March.

Officer in charge, Detective Constable Barnard, said: “This is a great result following a very thorough investigation carried out in partnership with Sussex Police and Trading Standards. The lengthy prison sentence demonstrates that this sort of criminal behaviour will not be tolerated and should act as a deterrent to others who believe they can con vulnerable people out of huge sums of money and get away with it.”

Advice:

Many legitimate businesses sell products door-to-door; gas, electricity and water companies need to visit to read your meters; and charities will often call seeking donations. But fraudsters may also knock on your door to part you from your money or get into your home to steal from you.

Most door-to-door scams involve selling goods or services that are either not delivered or are very poor quality. You won’t get value for money and you may get billed for work you didn’t want or agree to.

Some scammers conduct surveys just to get your personal details or as a cover to sell you goods or services you don’t want or need, such as roofing work or patio replacement.

Unscrupulous employees sometimes still act illegally even when selling a genuine product by a genuine business. If someone knocks at your front door claiming to be from a company, first check their ID. If you’re not happy, don’t let them in.

Never call the phone number on their ID card to check them out. Ask the salesperson to wait outside, shut the door and find the company number on the internet. If they’re genuine, they’ll understand.