A callous and remorseless former building society worker stole nearly £105k from vulnerable victims including several cancer patients, new parents, the elderly and bereaved.
Nialah Afser, 37, abused her position at Yorkshire Building Society to plunder the accounts of extremely vulnerable people who ‘trusted her implicitly’, and even exchanged chocolates, flowers and thank you cards.
She stashed the cash in her accounts or splashed out on an Audi car on hire purchase a holiday to Dubai, and luxury products from Prada, Chanel, Zara and other high street retailers.
Afser, of Primely Avenue, Hodge Hill, spent three years and three months preying on weak customers at the New Street branch before she was exposed in 2016.
When she arrested, she blamed her crimes on her employers.
Birmingham Crown Court heard on Thursday (June 13) how Afser was appointed as ‘deceased champion’ at the New Street branch after obtaining her job using forged references.
Afser, described as 'polite, charming and attentive', would take "vulnerable" customers into a side room, where after gaining their trust, would unlawfully access their accounts, withdrawing various sums of cash after getting them to sign debit slips.
Graham Huston, prosecuting, told of one “fragile” cancer sufferer who had gone into the branch in August 2015 for help as she was undergoing chemotherapy but ended up having £7,000 stolen from her.
Mr Huston said: “It was also clear to the defendant that this customer was trying to put her affairs in order anticipating a bad outcome to her cancer and the defendant took advantage of this.”
Mr Huston said Afser stole £36,000 from one customer who had been made redundant after 23 years.
Mr Huston said: “When the defendant was arrested and interviewed she said all the allegations had been fabricated by Yorkshire Building Society to get rid of her and she was to say in her interviews in relation to each of the complainants that they were liars."
Meanwhile, Ben Williams, defending, said Afser “struggles to understand her own behaviour.”
He said: “The defendant’s behaviour was appalling and would appal any right thinking person listening to the facts of the case."
In sentencing Afser, who had previously pleaded guilty to 19 counts of fraud, to four years in jail, Judge Richard Bond said: “You really do not have remorse in this case and when I mean remorse, I mean feelings of remorse towards the victims.”
All victims of the fraud were fully refunded by Yorkshire Building Society with an additional £500 sum paid in compensation.
Judge Bond said: “I hope that the victims of this offences and the building society take heart in the fact that the court will impose long sentences.
“This is no fault of the building society themselves,” he added.
Birmingham courts
Detective Constable Gary Kinch, who investigated the case for the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit, said: “This criminal abused her position of trust to prey on vulnerable customers and commit hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of fraud.
“This was a particularly callous crime and the judge has rightly handed down a custodial sentence of four years.
“The DCPCU will continue to work closely with the banking industry to investigate cases of insider fraud and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”
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