Fraudsters jailed for £10.5m scam after Nottinghamshire trading standards investigation
Vulnerable victims were “cruelly targeted and pressured” into buying bogus home improvement products as part of the scam
A Nottingham man who conned pensioners out of £10.5m in a home improvement scam alongside five other fraudsters has been jailed.
Philip Eremenko, Jason Rowan, Stephen Tomlinson, David Beeson, Christopher Simpson and Bohdan Zacharko targeted elderly people in their 80s and 90s, with those most vulnerable “repeatedly and cynically” exploited.
The group of fraudsters marketed over-priced and often unnecessary home improvement work via six different companies between 2014 and 2018.
‘Vulnerable targeted’
An investigation hosted by Nottinghamshire County Council and led by the East Midlands National Trading Standards Team exposed the widespread fraud.
It found the group sold exterior wall and roof coating products that falsely claimed were ‘guaranteed’ to cure damp and reduce heating bills.
The businesses, which had a total turnover of £10.5m, would cold call victims before visiting with a sales representative, who used scare tactics and pressure selling.
A total of 62 scam victims were identified, with many feeling pressured into making an on-the-day decision for a so-called bargain, when in reality the price had been grossly inflated.
All six men were found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud at Nottingham Crown Court on June 28.
They were jailed for a combined 22 years and six months on Thursday, September 7 and will serve half their sentences in jail and the remainder under licence.
- Philip Eremenko, 54, of Thistledown Road in Clifton, was jailed for two years and six months
- Jason Rowan, 51, of Town End Road in Draycott, was jailed for seven years and disqualified from being a director for 10 years
- Stephen Tomlinson, 55, of Dorchester Avenue in Derby, was jailed for four years and six months and disqualified from being a director for five years
- David Beeson, 53, of Bracknell Drive in Derby, was jailed for three years
- Christopher Simpson, 58, of Erdington Hall Road in Birmingham, was jailed for three years
- Bohdan Zacharko, 69, of High Holborn in London, was jailed for two years and six months and disqualified from being a director for five years
Tomlinson, Rowan and Zacharko were also found guilty of fraudulent trading, with Rowan also guilty of proceeds of crime offences.
‘Unscrupulous conmen’
Lord Michael Bichard, chair of National Trading Standards, said: “Elderly and vulnerable victims were cruelly targeted and pressured into agreeing to buy products they were wrongly assured would save them money on their energy bills.”
Cllr John Cottee, cabinet member for communities at Nottinghamshire County Council, added: “We would like to thank all the victims who came forward and worked with our investigators to help bring these unscrupulous conmen to trial.
“These sentences send a strong message to fraudsters that this type of activity will not be tolerated.”