Callum Picari, 23, was sentenced to over two years for running a fraud scheme targeting online banking users
Hornchurch: Callum Picari and his accomplices created a fake website. They pretended to be companies like BT and Visa. Their goal was to trick people into giving away one-time passcodes.
They offered a basic package for £30 a week. A custom package, which let criminals control the bot’s messages, cost £380.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimates the website made between £90,000 and £7.9 million. They believe over 12,500 people were targeted.
Picari’s own messages helped incriminate him. He panicked and told his accomplice to delete their chat. He said they were in big trouble.
Despite deleting the chat, the NCA was already investigating. They had been tracking the website since June 2020.
Picari was arrested in March 2021 and pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering. His accomplices, Vijayasidhurshan Vijayanathan and Aza Siddeeque, also faced charges.
Both Vijayanathan and Siddeeque received community orders and had to pay costs. Picari was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.
Confiscation proceedings against Picari have started. The NCA warns everyone to be cautious with online banking.
They remind users that criminals can impersonate trusted companies. If something seems off, always verify directly with the organization.
