A GLASGOW man got himself involved in the scamming of an 87-year-old woman.

Joseph Bray allowed criminals to transfer £6600 of the pensioner’s stolen money into his own bank account, before withdrawing it.

The 26-year-old appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court for sentencing.

He was charged with acquiring and possessing £6600 of criminal property, as well as converting £1719 into a different currency at Asda in the Forge Shopping Centre and purchasing £1100 worth of foreign currency at Barrhead Travel in Silverburn Shopping Centre, all on December 6, 2017.

The prosecutor explained that the complainer received a telephone call from someone, which was not Bray, two days earlier, on December 4, 2017.

He said: “The caller stated they were from the fraud squad of Nationwide Building Society and provided her details about her bank account including current balances.

“He informed her that her money had been taken from her account and that there were concerns regarding these transactions.

“He said that in order to secure her balance she should transfer the money to other accounts to safeguard her funds.”

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The pensioner transferred £24,900 into four different “mule accounts”.

She transferred £3100 and then £3500 to a Clydesdale Bank account belonging to Bray.

The prosecutor added: “That day she informed her daughter regarding the transfers and her daughter thought this was suspicious and contacted the bank and the matter was reported.

“It was discovered by enquiries that there was a further transaction on December 6, 2017, in which £1719 had been debited from her account. This took place within Asda at The Forge Shopping Centre.

“On the same day, another £1100 had been debited from her account at Barrhead Travel in Silverburn Shopping Centre.

“On December 11, 2017, police officers attended The Forge Shopping Centre and obtained CCTV footage which showed the accused exit the Asda store at 2.24pm."

A few months later on February 2, 2018, Bray was arrested and interviewed. He was released from custody but informed he would be subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal.

Sheriff Bernard Ablett asked the Crown why the case was calling in May 2022, when the offences occurred in 2017, but the reason was not clear.

Bray’s lawyer said: “He’s disgusted by himself and quite rightly so he should be. There is no getting away from the fact he’s absolutely appalled. He accepts full responsibility.

“He is deeply ashamed for allowing himself to become involved in these events. He’s now working full-time and living in London. I would be asking you not to go down the road of custody. There are alternatives available.”

Bray, whose address was listed as Sprinboig, was placed under social work supervision for one year and ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.

Sheriff Ablett told him: “You told social workers that others asked you to receive money into your bank account and you were to withdraw it.

“Essentially you allowed your bank account to be used to steal money from an 87-year-old woman. If this wasn’t criminal property, they would have used their own bank accounts and you knew fine well you were involved in criminal activity.

“You had plenty of time to think before participating in this scam. Saying you were unaware of converting criminal property is ludicrous.”