Two former bank employees have been been jailed for conspiring to commit fraud to the tune of over £900,000.

Gerald Francis Sarpong, 33, of Chigwell in Ilford, and Mohammed Mehboob Uddin, 30, of Bethnal Green, conspired with other unknown individuals to commit £936,565 worth of fraud between January 1 2018 and October 30 2018.

The fraud was spotted by the bank and referred for investigation to the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) which specifically targets criminals responsible for such crimes.

Sarpong was arrested on July 10 2018 at the Birmingham branch where he worked.

Officers seized his digital devices, and found messages on his phone that he had sent to Uddin containing customer account details.

On July 17 the same year, officers arrested Uddin at his home address after executing a search warrant which saw his digital devices and documents seized.

Sarpong and Uddin both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud, and were sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on November 5.

Sarpong received a prison sentence of 5 years and 11 months while Uddin received 6 years and 8 months imprisonment.

All victims were fully refunded by their bank.

DS Ben Hobbs, of the DCPCU, said: “Sarpong and Uddin acted with impunity, thinking they could get away with committing over £900,000 of fraud.

“This case shows that anyone who is caught abusing the trust placed in them by their employer will be punished.”