Online Bingo Addict Jailed For Stealing £50,000 From Lover To Fuel Habit

A woman from Manchester has been jailed for 12 months for stealing £50,000 from her lover’s credit cards and fraudulently using her cards and applying for credit in her name; all to fund an online bingo habit that had spiralled out of control. The deceit and theft went on for 4 years before she was found out but despite being given the opportunity to make amends, she instead remortgaged her partner’s home, took out a loan, and blew another £13,000 before the police were called.

Catherine Duff started using four of her partner, Carolyn Wilson’s credit cards to fund her bingo habit on the Internet and the more she lost the more she felt she had to gamble in order to try and win back the money. In order to cover up her theft she intercepted post until one day, a bill for Miss Wilson was sent to her daughter’s home. She immediately requested a credit report and discovered the extent of the deceit.

Giving Duff a second chance, Miss Wilson told her to sort herself out and get help for her addiction but instead of heeding this advice, Duff posed as Miss Wilson in order to apply for a loan using her home as collateral. Of the £30,000 received she used only £17,000 to repay debt and then used the remaining £13,000 to further fuel her gambling habit.

Judge Robert Atherton presided over the case and said that even the plea of guilty and her previous good behaviour was not enough to lessen a prison sentence because of the severity and length of the crimes committed. Duff has been sentenced to one year in prison but that sill leaves Miss Wilson with the financial mess to sort out herself.