Canvey: £450,000 bank fraudster jailed

A 41-year-old woman has been jailed for 28 months after spending a decade stealing almost £450,000 form the high street bank she was employed by.

Claire Harvey, of Sylvan Close in Canvey, was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on 10 February 2025 after detectives and the bank’s own financial investigations established she had made regular payments to accounts she could access.

Between 2013 and 2023, in payments of no more than £200 at a time, Harvey credited 54 different accounts with £435,681.

She was charged with fraud by misrepresentation and acquiring criminal property, the second charge of which is under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, in December 2024 and quickly pleaded guilty at court in January 2025.

‘Constant frivolous spending’

We were first notified of the concerns around Harvey on 13 July 2023, and executed a warrant at her address on 29 February 2024 to secure evidence on her phone and laptop.

She was released under investigation while our enquiries continued, with officers finding messages amounting to admissions of guilt on her devices to her former colleagues.

Her financial records showed a repeat pattern of stealing and spending, with money used for holidays, clothes and days out.

Over the course of her fraud she made more than 2,100 payments for her own spending, with an average of more than £3,500 every month for the ten years.

Detective Constable Matthew McGarry said:

“Harvey showed a consistent pattern of behaviour and a willingness to deceive and defraud her employer.
“Had she not been caught there is no reason to believe she would have stopped.
“Her spending clearly showed an unwillingness, rather than an inability, to live within her means or kerb her constant frivolous spending.
“She now has a prison sentence to reflect on her crime.”

This sentencing comes during Operation Henhouse, a month-long focus on tackling criminals suspected of being involved in fraud.

Operation Henhouse is a National Economic Crime Centre initiative managed in partnership with City of London Police’s Lead Force Operations Room, providing funding to allow forces to undertake additional operational activity against fraudsters.

Find further information on how to protect yourself from all varieties of fraud here.