Woman impersonated husband’s voice in near £100,000 fraud scheme
A woman who embezzled nearly £100,000 through mortgage and pension fraud by impersonating her husband’s voice has been ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work.
Karen Lawrence, 66, adopted a male voice in calls to a mortgage company and pension company, deceiving staff into believing she was her husband John. This elaborate ruse allowed him to illegally obtain £99,659.12.
The Crown Office and the Procurator Fiscal Service confirmed that Ms Lawrence, of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, had previously pleaded guilty to creating a fraudulent scheme.
Lawrence, who was sentenced at Ayr Sheriff Court on Tuesday, was given a community repayment order as a direct alternative to custody and ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.
The Crown Office said he was also given a two-year probation order and a six-month restriction of liberty order valid from 8pm to 6am.
North Strathclyde prosecuting attorney Anne Marie Hicks said: “Karen Lawrence betrayed a serious trust by cheating on her husband.
“He used extreme and elaborate efforts to fraudulently obtain significant amounts of money that did not belong to him.
“As prosecutors, we understand the impact of these types of crimes on victims and are fully committed to combating this type of financial crime.”
Lawrence was also given a 10-year non-harassment order banning him from contacting or contacting the victim.
Prosecutors said Lawrence made three calls to the mortgage firm in July 2019, during which she adopted a male voice and pretended to be her husband, fraudulently withdrawing money on his behalf from the value of the home.
A payment of £54,557.47 was subsequently made into the couple’s joint account and between 13 and 16 August 2019 £54,000 was transferred from this account to various other accounts.
She used the same tactic to collect £45,101.68 from her husband’s pension, calling the pension company six times claiming to be his husband.
The Crown Office said in his defense Lawrence claimed he stole the money because he was the victim of a fake online romance scammer to whom he sent the money.
