A mum who worked at a bank call centre passed on security codes allowing fraudsters to withdraw £47,000, a court heard.

Nafeesa Shabbir, 27, from Oldham, narrowly avoided jail after appearing before a judge at Manchester Crown Court.

She worked for Co-op Bank as a customer adviser in a call centre.

During her time working for the bank, only a matter of weeks, she helped criminals fraudulently withdraw £47,902 from four business accounts.

After a period of training, she started working for the bank in August 2017.

(Image: STEVE ALLEN)

Her fraudulent behaviour lasted until the end of September that year, when she was found out and was later sacked.

Police were called in and found a handwritten notebook in her car, containing bank security codes belonging to 37 different customers.

She was prosecuted for taking part in the fraudulent withdrawal of money from four accounts.

The court heard Shabbir would speak to the genuine account holder, take them through the usual security process, but then take a note of their account details.

Criminals would then call Shabbir at the bank at a later date when money would be fraudulently transferred, prosecutor James Preece said.

The first offence involved £5,000 being withdrawn from an account belonging to a security firm.

A total of £19,000 had tried to be withdrawn, but this was blocked.

The second offence involved a total of £15,440 being fraudulently taken from another firm's account.

Then £20,000 was withdrawn from the account of a jewellers.

A further £7,462 was withdrawn from another firm's account.

(Image: PA)

There were two further attempts to withdraw a total of £10,000, but these were blocked.

Shabbir, who has no previous convictions, was prosecuted for fraud totalling £47,902. All the money was refunded to customers.

She was arrested in October 2017.

The court heard Shabbir had taken part in the fraud after being promised 'one off payments', which she never actually received.

It was also heard that no other arrests have been in relation to the criminal operation, which involved 'others higher up the hierarchy'.

Defending, Erimnaz Mushtaq told the court that there was a 'degree of naivety' in the offending by Shabbir, a single parent to a seven-year-old boy.

Ms Mushtaq said Shabbir 'understood what she was doing' and wasn't 'coerced', but said her role was a 'small one'.

The barrister said Shabbir, who has now found work as an assistant manager at a tutorial company, was of 'limited means' and was attracted by the offer of 'quick money', which she never actually received.

Ms Mushtaq said that Shabbir, who the court was told had been in an 'abusive relationship', took the risk in the fraud, but 'gained none of the benefit'.

She argued that sending the defendant to prison would cause 'irreparable damage' to Shabbir's son.

Shabbir is an 'invaluable member of staff' in her new job, and has 'genuine remorse and shame' for her offending, the court was told.

Her barrister appealed for Shabbir to be spared jail.

Sentencing, Judge David Stockdale QC told the defendant: "Your role was low down in the criminal hierarchy.

"You were simply passing on the code numbers. But this is serious offending, as you now know.

"You were a trusted bank employee.

"Bank employees obviously have access to confidential information such as security codes.

"If they pass the confidential information on to others with criminal intent, then that is a serious breach of the trust placed in employees such as you.

"Conduct of this kind looked at more widely undermines the banking system.

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"Customers trust banks to look after their money and they trust employees of banks.

"It is conduct of people like you that undermines that trust."

The judge said he was satisfied her offending was not 'sophisticated', and spared her jail.

She was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Shabbir must complete 60 hours of unpaid work and 25 days rehabilitation activity requirement.

Shabbir, of Belgrave Avenue, Oldham, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud.