Chris Chidi Dinneya
A pensioner duped out of £300,000 of his life savings by a conman who told him he had won the Spanish Lottery was so convinced by the scam that he continued to pay even after police launched an investigation.Chris Chidi Dinneya, 40, who told his victims they had to pay money into an overseas account to release their winnings from the lottery, has been jailed for three and a half years.
The trusting 81-year-old, from Cambridge, lost the most money in the worldwide scam.
The pensioner was so taken in by the fraud he continued trying to send more cash after the police investigation began. Police and Cambridgeshire County Council were forced to apply for a court order to take control of his bank accounts to prevent any further losses.
Dinneya, of New Cross, South East London, was traced to a number of the payments.
He denied a sample charge of fleecing more than £6,100 from the elderly victim.
He also denied his involvement in hoaxing more victims around the world in similar lottery scams totalling £179,725. He was convicted on money laundering charges following a trial at Cambridge Crown Court and jailed for a total of three-and-a-half years on March 4. Detective Constable Sharon Garrett said: ‘This is a very sad case involving many people who have effectively been scammed out of their life savings.
The fraudster was convicted on money laundering charges following a trial at Cambridge Crown Court and jailed for a total of three-and-a-half years +2
‘This should serve as a warning to others who are contacted by people claiming they have won prizes in return for money transfers or bank details.
'Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it often is. DM
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