Man jailed for burglary linked to courier fraud at Wellingborough home of elderly couple

On the afternoon of Tuesday, May 14, 2024, the victims received a telephone call from a man claiming to be from the Metropolitan Police stating he was investigating fraudulent spending on their bank account and needed their assistance.

He told the woman that a man – claiming to be their nephew – had been arrested after using one of her bank cards to spend £483, and withdraw £6,500, but the money had been returned to her account by a crime organisation using counterfeit money.

This was actually an elaborate lie to convince the woman that there was counterfeit money in circulation at the local branch of her bank, and he then duped her that he was making a call to her bank.

Again, this was not true and instead of speaking to her bank, she was still on the phone to the criminal gang who asked her to help with their investigation by going to her local branch and withdrawing £5,500 so they could see if it was counterfeit.

Believing that the call was genuine, the woman followed the instructions.

The man claiming to be the police officer stayed on the phone the whole time, guiding her through the process and telling her what to say at the bank.

Once she had withdrawn the cash, she was told to take it home, put gloves on and then read the numbers on the notes before ending the call.

However, the man kept the phone line open, and a few hours later, called again and told her that the money was counterfeit.

At about 5.30pm, Joshawn Johnson-Grant arrived at the couple’s home and when the woman refused to let him in, the man purporting to be the police office, who was still on the phone, started to intimidate her, and she did what he said.

Johnson-Grant opened the door, entered the address, took the money, and fled.

The victim called the police which led to scenes of crime officers identifying Johnson-Grant quickly through fingerprints, prompting his arrest by response officers at Gatwick Airport.

A joint investigation by Northamptonshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit (ECU) and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Proactive Economic Crime Team (EMSOU PECT) led to Johnson-Grant, previously of Sycamore Road, Soho, Birmingham, being charged with one count of burglary dwelling and theft.

At Northampton Magistrates Court he pleaded guilty to the offence and on February 28, he was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court to 40 months imprisonment and ordered to pay £228 victim surcharge upon his release.

Lead investigator Detective Sergeant Matthew Crick of the ECU said: “Fraud is getting increasingly sophisticated and hard to identify.

"Criminals will often pretend to be trusted people or from reputable organisations to trick you into doing what they want.

“Courier frauds are particularly high harm offences with the offenders deliberately targeting the more vulnerable members of our community in their own homes, causing them to feel unsafe in the one place they should feel most comfortable.

“These offences cause immense distress to victims who can often lose their entire life savings at the hands of these criminals, who are often very convincing and ply pressure on victims to follow their instructions.

“I welcome this sentence and hope that it will both provide comfort to the victim as well as deter anyone considering committing fraud.

"I would also like to commend and thank her for the courage and support she has shown throughout this investigation.

“This result was a team effort, and I would also like to thank all the police officers and staff who were involved with the investigation and instrumental in achieving justice for the victim.

“Finally, if the caller is claiming to be a police officer, the relevant force can be contacted on 101 and will be able to verify if the call is genuine.

"However, if someone is on their way to collect money or valuables then dial 999 immediately.”

Signs of courier fraud are:

• Courier fraud usually starts with an unsolicited telephone call to the victim

• Typically, the suspect will pose as a bank official, police officer or a computer or utility engineer

• Courier fraudsters will usually request the victim purchases high value items such as Rolex watches and gold bullion, withdraws cash or provides a bank card for collection from a courier

• Fraudsters will instruct victims not to tell any family or friends about what they are doing

• When carrying out courier fraud, criminals will request the victim hangs up the phone to ring their bank for confirmation while keeping the line open. The suspect then pretends to be a bank official and provides false confirmation

• Fraudsters will also plan for a courier to meet the victim to collect the item they have purchased

If you think you have been a victim of fraud you should report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, online at www.actionfraud.police.uk or calling 0300 1232040.