Tesco Clubcard scam involved £17k worth of stolen vouchers

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Three men have admitted their roles in a Tesco Clubcard scam involving more than £17,000-worth of stolen vouchers.

The trio spent the discount tokens on Christmas presents and household goods after they were swiped by a crooked Royal Mail sub-contractor.

Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard that David Hewitt, Lee Flanner and Anthony Avram paid rock-bottom prices for the vouchers before spending them with the supermarket giant.

Hewitt, 51, of Sheldon Heath Road, Garretts Green, bought £11,671-worth of items from the Tesco website after buying the Clubcard points for just £2,000.

Dad-of-three Flanner, 43, of Church Road, Sheldon, spent £4,216 on the site using vouchers he bought for £900.

And Avram, 50, of Hampton Road, Erdington, bought £300-worth of vouchers, totalling £1,444.

All three admitted fraud by false representation.

Hewitt told the court he originally thought the vouchers were legitimate but continued to use them between July 2012 and last January despite beginning to doubt their authenticity.

Clarkson Baptiste, prosecuting, told an earlier hearing: “He didn’t think there was anything wrong – it soon became apparent that there was.

“He said he just wanted to give his kids a good Christmas and, after being asked to return the items, he refused to do so.”

Flanner, a self-employed property maintenance worker, said he originally spent £300 on the vouchers, which came printed on an A4 piece of paper.

When the codes worked, he said he bought more for another £600.

The court heard Avram, a self-employed builder, contacted Tesco when he suspected the vouchers might be fake. Mr Baptiste said the Clubcard tokens were originally stolen by a delivery driver sub-contracted by Royal Mail to dispose of undelivered vouchers.

“Having been stolen they were used online to buy goods by various different persons,” Mr Baptiste said.

He said the Royal Mail contractor had pleaded guilty to theft and fraud and was due to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court next month.

Avram, who told probation workers he wished he could turn back the clock, was ordered to pay £1,444 compensation, £200 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

Flanner, who said he felt ashamed, was ordered to carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work.

Magistrates ordered him to pay £4,216 compensation, £200 costs and a £60 surcharge.

Hewitt was ordered to repay the £11,671 he spent in compensation, as well as £200 costs and a £60 surcharge.

He was told to perform 200 hours’ unpaid work.

All three were given 12-month community orders.

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What sentence did the sub-contractor who nicked them get?

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What sentence did the sub-contractor who nicked them get?

Tune in next month for the next episode...

He said the Royal Mail contractor had pleaded guilty to theft and fraud and was due to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court next month.

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Delivery driver stole £5,000 of Tesco vouchers and went on spending spree

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Sutton Coldfield man who spent coupons he was meant to destroy given suspended jail sentence

A delivery driver who was supposed to dispose of unwanted Tesco Clubcard coupons instead stole them – and went on a shopping spree.

Elliot Chalmers, of Clarence Road, Sutton Coldfield, was handed a suspended jail sentence after he spent more than £5,000-worth of stolen vouchers on the supermarket giant’s website.

But prosecutor Clarkson Baptiste, for the Royal Mail, told Birmingham Crown Court it was unknown how many coupons – which should have been destroyed – were actually stolen.

The undelivered vouchers, offering Tesco customers cash off their shopping, should have been scanned into a computer to stop their use and then disposed of.

But Chalmers, aged 37, who worked for a company subcontracted by Royal Mail, told investigators he would steal a shoebox-sized container full of the tokens every couple of weeks.

And he revealed other workers at the company were doing the same thing.

It is estimated over £60,000 of vouchers were used fraudulently on the Tesco website.

Last month three men were sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates Court for spending stolen Clubcard points worth over £17,000.

David Hewitt, Lee Flanner and Anthony Avram paid rock-bottom prices for the vouchers before spending them on Christmas presents and household items.

Mr Baptiste told Birmingham Crown Court: “Mr Chalmers, being trusted to dispose of the vouchers, took a shoe-sized box of vouchers every couple of weeks.

“They ended up in circulation. He used vouchers to the value of £5,796, he returned goods worth £2,562, leaving goods worth £3,234 outstanding.”

Mr Baptiste said when the fraud came to light investigations were launched by both Royal Mail and Tesco.

Joseph Keating, defending, said Chalmers, who had pleaded guilty to theft and fraud, was a man of good character and had helped uncover the wide scale of the fraud taking place.

He said: “He alerted investigators to the fact other members of his organisation were doing the same thing.

“He has learnt a valuable and substantial lesson.”

His Honour Judge William Davis QC, said Chalmers' early admission and good character could be used to keep him out of prison.

He was sentenced to three months jail, suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work and pay £3,234 compensation.