A couple in Islington, London, fell victim to a financial investment scam, resulting in the loss of over £230,000. Haydee Daniel, a resident of Henley-on-Thames, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison at Wood Green Crown Court on October 26. She had been found guilty after a four-week trial.
PC Evan McLoughlin, from the Metropolitan Police’s Economic Crime Unit, expressed shock at the impact of the crime on the victims. Daniel orchestrated a sophisticated investment fraud, targeting vulnerable individuals on a large scale. The money obtained from the scam was used to support a lavish lifestyle, displaying complete disregard for the victims.
Daniel showed no remorse for her actions and even attempted to delay her trial for over three years by feigning multiple medical conditions at the expense of the National Health Service.
The investigation into the scam began in 2019 by detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime’s Economic Crime Team. The court heard that Daniel befriended a couple with a young, ill child, convincing them that she led a luxurious life. She falsely claimed that she had a contact at Barclays bank who could provide them with discounted properties. Daniel posed as the contact and informed the victims that their credit ratings were insufficient to secure the properties, thus requiring her to act as their guarantor.
To prove their financial stability during periods of unemployment, Daniel instructed the victims to send money to a bank account she had set up. They were assured that the funds would be ring-fenced and returned once the contact was satisfied with their ability to repay any loans. Encouraged by these promises, the victims made several payments totalling £230,496. However, instead of being ring-fenced, the money was immediately spent by Daniel on luxury rentals and goods or sent to other individuals.
As a result, the victims were left destitute and burdened with substantial debt owed to their family, who had lent them money based on the belief that it would be repaid once the deal was finalised. The loss of over £230,000 deeply affected the victims, representing the theft of their financial security, hopes for the future, and the well-being of their children. The constant stress and anxiety caused by Daniel’s actions had permeated every aspect of their lives.
As part of her elaborate scheme, Daniel also lied to the victims about having cervical cancer and claimed to have only 18 months to live. She used this false narrative to justify her desire to help the victims improve their lives before her supposed demise. However, it was revealed that Daniel had been cured of cancer in the 1990s and was cancer-free at the time of the offence and continues to be.
Further investigation confirmed Daniel’s involvement as the fictitious contact, as her phone’s location data consistently showed it being used near her home address. Additionally, an examination of her phone revealed that both she and the contact left the WhatsApp group containing the victims two hours before her police interview.
Despite her attempts to cover her tracks, officers were able to retrieve over 1,000 pages of WhatsApp messages between the victims and Daniel. These conversations revealed the victims’ genuine belief that they would receive four properties after sending their money.
