Havard, 24, and Elwood, 25, were arrested in June last year,
after officers from the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) began
investigating a conspiracy by Eastern European crime syndicates to
target UK banks and steal cash from customers’ accounts.
The fraudsters sent e-mails to obtain sensitive information from
recipients, which was then sent to Havard and Elwood to obtain
credit cards under false names and to plunder bank accounts.
The pair would use the money and credit cards to buy goods and
arrange for them to be sold on internet auctions, sending the
proceeds, minus their cut, back to their Russian counterparts.
According to the NHTCU, the men stole around £750,000 in the 10
months during which they were under investigation; but they could
have taken as much as £6.5 million in two years.
Both Havard and Elwood have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to
defraud and conspiracy to launder money.
Havard may well face extradition proceedings as, according
to reports, the US authorities are anxious to question him over his
failure to appear at court in Texas, on charges of armed robbery
and counterfeiting.
