How did a seemingly normal girl from Halifax end up on a path of deception that led her to con 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 “cover” to get friends and family – including her own brother – to invest in a bogus share scheme.
The beauty-loving criminal mastermind used “sophisticated” methods to trick those closest to him. A seemingly intelligent young woman could make a decent living, but her “addiction to money” led her straight to prison.
Read more: Lloyds Bank worker used work as ‘cover’ to dupe friends and family in £500,000 sharing scam
According to her LinkedIn profile, Allan started working as a technician at Lloyds Banking Group in September 2015. Prior to that, she worked as an ICT technician and Service Desk Advisor.
On her profile, she describes herself as a “hard-working, bubbly, enthusiastic and friendly person” who has a “thirst for knowledge”. She goes on to talk about her experience working in IT and says she is “very good at dealing with customers”. He writes, “I am very easy going and understand and empathize with the problems customers face when they contact me.”
Allan also says she “thrives at learning new skills” and enjoys hobbies like dancing, going to the gym, skiing and hanging out with friends.
It’s clear that the mum-of-two didn’t foresee a spell behind bars, as she adds: “I often get asked where I want to be in 5-10 years, and honestly, I don’t have an answer. The only answer I’m sure is that it will be in IT.”
And her hobbies include “dancing, going to the gym, skiing, hanging out with friends, baking, riding motorcycles and learning new skills.” She writes, “I’m always trying new hobbies with my friends because I like to learn and push myself to be able to achieve things. I’m excited to see where my career in IT takes me as I learn and grow.”
It seems the criminal mastermind also had a passion for all things hair and beauty. Her business listing shows that she set up a hair and beauty company, Annabelle’s Beauty Ltd, on 5 January 2019, but it was dissolved on 3 November 2021.
Her Facebook page shows more details about the beauty business, with a client sharing a photo of her eyelash extensions in 2019 with the caption: “Annabelle made my lashes amazing again.”
Other records show she set up a second business, Annabelle Maisie Trade Ltd, based in Keighley, West Yorkshire, in January last year.
Get all the latest and breaking news from West Yorkshire Court straight to your inbox subscribe to our newsletter here.
Other posts on her profile present her as family-oriented, with several posts from her close relatives calling her a “beauty”, as well as pictures of her two children.
But behind the mask of a “bubbly” young woman who had a “thirst for knowledge” lay a much darker mind. On Tuesday June 18, Bradford Crown Court heard how Allan began her offending in 2017 when she was said to be struggling with her own debts.
Prosecutor Marte Alnaes outlined to the court the details of Allan’s wrongdoing, which began with her taking out personal loans in her brother’s name without his knowledge. Ms Alnaes said the offenses had led to an outstanding debt of more than £16,600 and her brother had at one stage been given a District Court sentence.
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 his position in IT at a Lloyds Bank data center to design a “detailed and convincing” bogus sharing scheme before encouraging family, friends and acquaintances to invest in it.
In that time, Allan is said to have raised just under £500,000, but almost £330,000 was “recycled” back to investors. The court heard that some victims were also reimbursed by Lloyds Bank, but there was still an unaccounted amount of £167,796.40.
Allan allegedly forged signatures and sent fake letters to investors pretending to be from the police or lawyers. Lloyds Bank investigated Allan’s activities in early 2019 and after being suspended, she was fired four months later.
Allan’s barrister, Recorder Bryan Cox KC, explained in court how Allan fell into a “vicious cycle of debt” after taking out a payday loan when she was 18.
Get the latest news from Yorkshire straight to your phone
Get all the latest big and breaking news from Yorkshire straight to your mobile via WhatsApp by clicking here.
If you don’t like our community, you can leave anytime. We also provide members with special offers, promotions and advertisements from us and our partners. Read our privacy notice here.