Six men have been jailed after they were found guilty of scamming thousands and thousands of pounds out of vulnerable pensioners.
Based in Nottingham the gang scammed 97 victims throughout the UK, including one man from Beverley, who was hoodwinked into having work carried out on a leaking roof.
William McBroom who is 76 years old was scammed out £2000 which he paid the men to remove the moss from his roof and also for some insulation paint to be applied.
Mr. McBroom paid the men to do the work. However, when it rained, the paint was washed away, and his roof continued to leak.
“I feel angry,” said Mr. McBroom. “If someone like myself who has all his wits about him can be conned like this, there are many, many vulnerable people wide open.”
Using a variety of trading names the gang travelled the country targeting the most vulnerable in the community.
Following a two-year investigation over 150 victims were found in the East Midlands alone with the gang believed to have generated £500,000 from their activities.
The gang pleaded guilty in court and now face a range of prison term sentences from 18 months through three years.
Nottingham County Council that took the gang to court described the scale of the fraud was unprecedented and sickening.
They added, “The victims were all vulnerable people handed over considerable sums of money from their hard-earned savings for at best a shoddy and at worst non-existent work.”
Investigators say that this is one of the largest cases of fraud of this type and there may still be more people out there who were ripped off by the rogue traders.
