A fraudster who went on a year-long crime spree stealing people’s identities to authorise credit cards has been jailed.
Kevin Castle, aged 56, broke into people’s letterboxes, stealing post and creating credit cards in their name so he could withdraw money and fund his own lifestyle.
Castle, of Birkin Avenue, Radcliffe-on-Trent, would target people who lived in rural areas and had isolated letterboxes away from their front door.
He would then place pieces of paper or break into the boxes to steal post which allowed him to gain access to their personal details.
During his 13-month crime spree he took out credit cards in his victim’s names, using them to buy everyday items such as toys, decorating supplies and also withdrawing money until the victims’ banks noticed the fraudulent use of the cards.
In an attempt to avoid being caught he would drive away from properties with his boot up to prevent anyone catching sight of his number plate.
Castle, who stole thousands of pounds from his victims, was only rumbled when his victims began to receive texts from the credit card companies and he was spotted driving off after stealing post from letterboxes.
It is estimated Castle may have targeted over 130 victims over a year, from July 2020 until August 2021.
Castle pleaded guilty to nine counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 8 February), he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.
Detective Sergeant Marc Lancaster, of Nottinghamshire Police’s dedicated fraud team, said: “This whole operation run by Castle was targeted, pre-planned and calculated fraud committed against victims who had no idea he was using their identity to apply for credit cards.
“He not only targeted one person but continued with his fraudulent behaviour for months and in an effort to evade being seen or traced would drive away quickly with his car boot open – showing just how planned his behaviour truly was.
“This type of offending is extremely personal in nature and causes significant amounts of distress to the victims not just financially but emotionally, often leaving the victims feeling completely betrayed.
“Thanks to the help of his victims, post office workers and our officers we were able to gain so much evidence to haul Castle up in front of the courts and I’m so pleased with the outcome that will see him now serve time behind bars for his actions.
“Fraud can have a truly devastating impact on its victims and Nottinghamshire Police will not tolerate this kind of offending and I hope this case shows just how serious we take any reports of fraud made to us and how much work we put into a case to bring the offender to justice.”
