Woman who gained almost £5,000 by pretending to be family members avoids jail time

A South Tyneside woman who scammed almost £5,000 in phone and other services by pretending to be her mum and gran has been spared jail.

Amy Ord, 33, of Biddick Hall, took out eight policies in their names between February 2018 and July 2020, borough magistrates heard.

Her callous trick led her relatives, from whom she is estranged, being blacklisted by credit ratings agencies and to suffer other financial difficulties.

At a first hearing, she pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud by false representation, six being against her mother – and her case was adjourned for reports.

When she returned for sentencing, borough magistrates jailed her for four weeks for each offence, to run consecutively.

But they suspended the sentence for eight months, having heard a serious family-related issue led to a fall out from which her offending stemmed.

Ord first erred by obtaining goods and services totalling £2,634 by opening a BT account in her gran’s name.

She defrauded her elderly relative a second time with the same phone firm to make a gain of £762, between July 17 and November 13, 2018.

Her offences against her mother began with a £219 fraud via a Virgin Media account, between April 10 and August 19, 2018.

That was followed between May 27, 2018, and January 16, 2019, when she opened a Talk Talk account, racking up a bill of £527.

She next signed up with Vodafone to make a gain of £463 between October 10, 2018, and February 1, 2019, and opened an Ikano bank account on December 17, 2018, leading to £92 bill by the following May.

And she then racked up bills of £191 and £175 by opening two accounts with retailer JD Williams, between December 18, 2018, and July 25, 2019.

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Prosecutor John Garside said: “The complainants are the defendant’s mother and grandmother.

“The defendant has taken out accounts in her mother’s name. The offences against her grandmother involved BT accounts. At 15-years-old, the defendant fell out with her mother.

“The fraud came to light when her mother tried to re-mortgage and was told about the debt. It led her credit rating to plummet to the point she couldn’t get a TV on credit.”

Joanne Gatens, defending, said: “What’s worrying is that this was investigated in 2020 and has taken three years. An investigation by police can undo a credit rating.

“What can’t be ignored is that the offences, at most recent, were three years ago.

“The offences appear to have taken place at a period when there was an impact of mental health.

“I can see the impact on her mother and grandmother. I have to accept the impact on their credit ratings, it must have been devastating for them.”

Ord was also ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation days with the Probation Service and pay £200 compensation to each relative, with £85 court costs.