Moment fraudster, 34, smiles as he uses stolen identity and bank details to set up gym membership – then robs victims’ lockers
A fraudster was seen smiling as he used a stolen identity and bank details to set up a gym membership before robbing victims’ lockers.
Christopher Forde, 34, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft from gym lockers and two counts of fraud by false representation.
Forde could be seen smiling for a picture at a gym as he fraudulently used the ID and banking details of a gym user to set up a membership.
He then went on to steal bank cards from several different gym lockers in the city.
The 34-year-old was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, with police warning that they are ‘cracking down on prolific thieves who target gym goers to steal valuables and bank cards’.
The force added: ‘Watch out for suspicious activity and anyone trying to obtain your locker PIN.’
This comes after it was revealed that fewer than one in 300 fraud reports result in someone being charged.
Christopher Forde, 34, was seen smiling as he used a stolen identity and bank details to set up a gym membership
The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of theft from gym lockers and two counts of fraud by false representation
Just 3,600 criminal charges stemmed from more than 1.2million reports of fraud in the year ending March 2024, statistics show.
Demanding tougher action to grapple the epidemic which robs British people and businesses of billions each year, experts have requested ‘less bobbies on the beat and more geeks in the suite’.
Helena Wood, public policy director at Cifas – a fraud prevention service, said how authorities treat fraud needs a ‘fundamental rethink’.
Ms Wood, previously of the National Crime Agency, added: ‘Fraud has never been a priority in policing.
‘But in the last few years, where it’s got to catastrophic levels, we’ve started talking about it as a key issue.’
