A FRAUDSTER posed as a building firm employee to steal almost £8,000, before converting it into a crypto currency so it couldn’t be traced.

Christopher Summer, 67, hacked into the building firm’s emails before sending an invoice for £7,700 to the victim who had just had work completed on his home.

During a sentencing hearing yesterday, Summer claimed a cheque randomly arrived at his home but the judge dismissed his defence.

Basildon Crown Court heard Summer, of The Greensted, Basildon, transferred the money into a Bitcoin - a form of crypto currency - account, making it almost impossible to trace the fraudulent cash.

Prosecuting, Adam Budworth, said: “The victim lost £7,770 and said the first time he become aware was when the firm called to say he hadn’t paid them. He says he felt helpless and lost a great deal of money. There must have been a level of sophistication and significant planning to hack the emails of the building firm.

“He has previous convictions for unrelated matters and was on a suspended sentence when committing these offences.”

The work had been carried out on the victim’s home in October 2020.

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Sentencing, Judge Shane Collery, told Summers he rejected his claims about getting a cheque in the post and said he tried to hide the money.

He said: “The basis of plea that a cheque was posted to his home is nonsense. I reject the claims which are an invention and this a prime example of how fraud is not a victimless crime. The transferring of the money to a Bitcoin account makes it harder to trace and he sort to conceal or hide the money.

“It caused serious emotional, mental health and financial effect the victim”

Summers admitted fraud and two counts of breaching a suspended sentence.

He was jailed for one year and six months.