To her friends, family and colleagues, she was a “bubbly and enthusiastic” bank employee and a loving mother of two. But Annabelle Allan used her job at Lloyds Bank as a ‘front’ for those closest to her – including her own brother – to invest in a bogus share scheme worth £500,000.
The 29-year-old used ‘sophisticated’ methods to scam her loved ones, YorkshireLive reports. The apparently intelligent young woman could have made an honest living for herself, but instead her ‘money addiction’ led her straight to prison.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Allan started as a technician at Lloyds Banking Group in September 2015. Before that she worked as an IT technician and Service Desk Advisor.
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On her profile she describes herself as a “hardworking, bubbly, enthusiastic and friendly person” with a “thirsty for knowledge”. She goes on to talk about her experience working in IT and says she is “very good at dealing with customers”. She writes: “I am very easy to talk to and understand and sympathize with the issues customers face when contacting me.”
Allan also says she “thrives from learning new skills” and enjoys hobbies such as dancing, going to the gym, skiing and hanging out with friends.
It is clear that the mother of two did not predict that she would end up behind bars, she says: “I often get asked where I want to be in five to ten years and to be honest I don’t have an answer to that. The only answer I’m sure of is that it will be in IT.”
And her hobbies include “dancing, going to the gym, skiing, meeting friends, baking, riding motorcycles and learning new skills.” She writes: “I’m always trying out new hobbies with my friends because I love learning and pushing myself to achieve things. I’m excited to see where my career in IT takes me as I learn and develop.”
It seems the criminal mastermind also had a passion for all things hair and beauty. Her Companies House shows she established hair and beauty company Annabelle’s Beauty Ltd on January 5, 2019, but this was dissolved on November 3, 2021.
Her Facebook page shows more details about the beauty industry, with a client from 2019 sharing a photo of her eyelash extensions with the caption: “Annabelle made my lashes amazing again.”
Further details show she set up a second company Annabelle Maisie Trade Ltd in January last year, with a head office in Keighley, West Yorkshire.
Other posts on her profile present her as family-oriented, with several posts from her close family members calling her “a beauty”, as well as images of her two children.
But behind the mask of a ‘bubbly’ young woman who had a ‘thirst for knowledge’ lurked a much darker spirit. On Tuesday, June 18, Bradford Crown Court heard how Allan began her offending in 2017, when she was allegedly struggling with her own debts.
Prosecutor Marte Alnaes outlined the details of Allan’s offending to the court, which began by taking out personal loans in her brother’s name without his knowledge. Mrs Alnaes said these offenses had resulted in an outstanding debt of more than £16,600 and her brother had a judgment against him at one point.
She said her brother had spent months trying to “clear his name” and had no choice but to support police in prosecuting his sister. Ms Alnaes said that between 2017 and 2019, Allan also used her IT position at a Lloyds Bank data centre to devise an “elaborate and convincing” bogus share scheme before encouraging family, friends and acquaintances to invest in it.
During that period, Allan is said to have obtained just under £500,000, but almost £330,000 had been “recycled” back to investors. The court heard that some victims had also been compensated by Lloyds Bank, but an undisclosed sum of £167,796.40 was still missing.
Allan allegedly forged signatures and sent investors fake letters purporting to be from police or lawyers. Lloyds Bank investigated Allan’s activities in early 2019 and was dismissed four months later following her suspension.
In court, Allan’s lawyer Bryan Cox KC explained how Allan fell into a “vicious cycle of debt” after taking out a payday loan at the age of 18.