How did a seemingly normal girl from Halifax end up on a path of deception that led her to defraud her own family and friends in a half-million-pound scam?
Mother-of-two Annabelle Allan, 29, used her job at Lloyds Bank as a ‘front’ to dupe friends and family – including her own brother – into investing in a bogus share scheme.
The beauty-loving criminal mastermind used ‘sophisticated’ methods to defraud those closest to her. The apparently intelligent young woman could have made an honest living for herself, but instead her “money addiction” led her straight to prison.
Read more: A Lloyds Bank employee used his job as a cover to defraud friends and family in a £500,000 share scam
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.
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 that she is “very good at dealing with customers”. She writes: “I am very easy-going 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 2019 client sharing a photo of her eyelash extensions with the caption: “Annabelle made my lashes great 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.
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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 with taking out personal loans in her brother’s name without his knowledge. Ms Alnaes said these offences had resulted in an outstanding debt of more than £16,600 and that at one point her brother had a judgment against him.
She said her brother had tried for months to “clear his name” and had no option 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 center to devise a “detailed and convincing” fake share scheme before encouraging family, friends and acquaintances to invest in it.
During that period, Allan is said to have received just under £500,000, but almost £330,000 had been “recycled” back to investors. The court heard some victims had also been compensated by Lloyds Bank, but there was still an unaccounted amount of £167,796.40.
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 Recorder Bryan Cox KC explained how Allan fell into a “vicious cycle of debt” after taking out a loan at the age of 18.
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