Who's skint ?

Imposter withdraws cash from riders' accounts
BY GRAHAM GREEN 6:55PM 24 OCT 2014
BRITAIN'S jockeys are being targeted in a fraud that has resulted in £20,000 being taken from the bank accounts of Joe Fanning, Paul Hanagan, Rab Havlin and Andrew Tinkler in the past week and a half.

In each instance cash was handed over the counter by staff at different branches of Barclays to somebody claiming to be the jockey.

It has also emerged that earlier this year a number of riders, including Andrew Thornton, Tony Hamilton, Liam Treadwell, Dougie Costello, Jim Crowley and Nick Scholfield, who were customers of either NatWest or Lloyds Bank, fell victim to the fraud, which is so far thought to have netted around £50,000.

Following the previous incidents the money was refunded, as is again expected to be the case with the recent thefts, but in the absence of a co-ordinated investigation by police, who say banks have their own fraud teams, Professional Jockeys Association chief executive Paul Struthers is urging riders to be vigilant and regularly check withdrawals from their accounts.

Speaking to the Racing Post on Friday, Newmarket-based Havlin said: "I had £2,600 taken on Wednesday but I was lucky because I get a text message if anything goes in or comes out over £1,500. I got a £1,750 debit alert on Thursday morning alert so I rang the bank and they said there had been a cash withdrawal in Leamington Spa, and they also took £850 out of my other account which I didn't know about.

"I was nowhere near Leamington Spa on Wednesday and it's fortunate I got the alert or they could have gone back in every day and kept taking more. Barclays have said the money will be refunded, but it hasn't been so far."