At Teesside Crown Court, Christopher Call, 36, and Charles Palmer, 43, were sentenced for masterminding a scam that defrauded victims of over £110,000 ($149,537). The pair posed as private investigators offering to recover money lost in horse racing and betting scams, demanding upfront commission payments.
Between March and October 2020, they tricked several victims, including a woman who paid £82,500 after previously losing £20,000, and a 79-year-old man who handed over £6,680. Another victim, suspicious of repeated payment demands, avoided falling prey, helping expose the scheme.
The gang used a luxury Bentley, provided by accomplice Kevin Ratcliffe, to bolster their false credibility. Call received four years and three months for the fraud plus two years and three months for unrelated roofing scams targeting elderly homeowners. Palmer, extradited from Spain, got four and a half years. Ratcliffe was sentenced to 20 months, and Joseph Holden, who handled fraudulent transfers, got two years and three months.
Judge Francis Laird KC condemned their exploitation of vulnerable individuals desperate to recover prior losses.
