An ambitious HR manager stole more than one and a half million pounds from his Shanghai-based tech company by creating 22 ‘ghost’ employees and pocketing their wages.
The scheme, executed by an HR expert known as Yang, started in 2014 and continued for eight years before suspicions were raised.
It unravelled only when it became apparent that one of Yang’s fake employees, Xiao Sun, who supposedly had perfect attendance during his six-month tenure, had never been seen.
Yang stole a total of 16 million yuan (£1,647,800) by directing the ghost workers’ salaries, as well as severance pay, to bank accounts that he controlled, according to an Oddity Central report.
The publication explained that Yang was solely responsible for the hiring process and the resignation process at the company.
As no one ever oversaw Yang’s work – no one else was involved in paying employees’ salaries – he had free rein to invent the new workers and pay them.
And, as the employees were all fictitious, Yang set up multiple bank accounts to receive their pay.
Between 2014 and 2022, he ‘hired’ 22 ghost employees and collected their monthly wages for himself.
An HR manager stole more than one and a half million pounds from the Shanghai-based tech company where he worked by creating fake employees and pocketing their pay
The scheme fell apart only when someone noticed that one of these employees, who was given the name Xiao Sun, was marked as having perfect attendance during his six months at the company – but had never been seen by anyone.
Investigators were notified and they soon traced the scheme to Yang, who didn’t take long to admit that he had stolen approximately 16 million yuan (£1,647,800).
The fraud paid back 1.1 million yuan (£113,286) while his family returned another 1.2 million yuan (£123585).
Yang received a prison sentence of 10 years and two months, was deprived of his political rights for one year and received a fine for embezzlement.
A comparable scam was exposed in the UK last June.
A mother-of-two who appeared to be a normal IT worker at a Lloyds Bank branch was in fact a ‘money addict’ who conned her own family and friends in a scam worth half a million pounds.
Debt-ridden Annabelle Allan, 29, from Halifax, described herself as a ‘hardworking, bubbly, enthusiastic and friendly person’ who has a ‘thirst for knowledge’.
However, the beauty-loving criminal mastermind ‘sophisticatedly’ used her job as a ‘cover’ to trick those closest to her – including her own brother – into investing in a fake share scheme.
Annabelle Allan, 29, (pictured) was a seemingly normal girl from Halifax who worked as a technician at a Lloyds Bank branch
The mother-of-two used her job as a ‘cover’ to trick those closest to her – including her own brother – into investing in a fake share scheme
The debt-ridden mother was jailed for four years. She was still committing crimes after going on bail for earlier offending
Several images on her profile present her as family oriented, with posts from her close relatives calling her ‘a beauty’, as well as images of her two children
The seemingly intelligent young woman could have earnt an honest living for herself, but instead her ‘addiction to money’ saw her jailed for four years last week.
Bradford Crown Court heard how Allan racked up more than £16,600 worth of debts in her brother’s name, which led to him having a County Court judgement made against him.
Prosecutor Marte Alnaes said her brother had spent months trying to ‘clear his name’ and he had no option but to support the police in prosecuting his sister.
Allan began her offending back in 2017 when she was said to have been struggling with debt. She was still committing crimes in May last year when she obtained more than £37,000 from customers who thought they were buying vehicles.
According to her LinkedIn profile, the 29-year-old started working as a technician at Lloyds Banking Group in September 2015. Prior to that she had worked as an ICT Technician and a Service Desk Advisor.
On her profile, she talks about her experience working in IT and says she is ‘very good at dealing with customers’. She writes: ‘I am very easy to get along with and understand the issues customers are facing when they contact me and I sympathise with this.’
Allan also says that she ‘thrives off learning new skills’ and enjoys participating in hobbies including dancing, going to the gym, skiing and meeting up with friends.
It is clear that the mum-of-two was not predicting a spell behind bars for herself as she adds: ‘I often get asked where I would like to be in 5-10 years time and honestly I don’t have an answer. The only answer I am sure of is that it will be in IT.’
Bradford Crown Court heard how Allan racked up more than £16,600 worth of debts in her brother’s name
Her hobbies include ‘dancing, going to the gym, skiing, meeting up with friends, baking, motorbiking and learning new skills’.
She writes: ‘I am always trying new hobbies with my friends as I love learning and pushing myself to be able to achieve things. I am excited to see where my career within IT takes me as I learn and develop.’
It appears that the criminal mastermind also had a passion for all things hair and beauty. Her Companies House shows that she set up the hair and beauty business Annabelle’s Beauty Ltd on January 5, 2019, however this went on to be dissolved on November 3, 2021.
Her Facebook page shows further details of the beauty business, with a client in 2019 sharing a photo of her lash extensions with the caption: ‘Annabelle’s made my eyelashes amazing yet again.’
Further records show that she set up a second business Annabelle Maisie Trade Ltd, with a registered office in Keighley, West Yorkshire, in January last year.
Other posts on her profile present her as family oriented, with several posts from her close relatives 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 of knowledge’ lay a much darker mind.
On Tuesday, June 18, prosecutor Marte Alnaes outlined details of Allan’s offending to the court, which started with her taking out personal loans in her brother’s name without his knowledge.
Behind the mask of a ‘bubbly’ young woman who had a ‘thirst of knowledge’ lay a much darker mind
Allan set up a business called Annabelle’s Beauty Ltd. This Facebook page shows a client in 2019 sharing a photo of her lash extensions
Ms Alnaes said between 2017 and 2019, Allan also used her IT position at a Lloyds Bank data centre to devise a ‘detailed and convincing’ fake share scheme before encouraging family, friends and acquaintances to invest in it.
Over that period Allan was said to have obtained just under £500,000, but almost £330,000 had been ‘recycled’ back to investors. The court heard that some victims had also been reimbursed by Lloyds Bank, but there was still an unaccounted sum of £167,796.40.
Allan was said to have forged signatures and sent investors fake letters purporting to be from the police or solicitors. Lloyds Bank investigated Allan’s activities in early 2019 and after being suspended she was dismissed four months later.
Lloyds Bank investigated Allan’s activities in early 2019 and after being suspended she was dismissed four months later.
One of Allan’s victims said she had given the defendant her life savings and the defendant had shown no remorse just ‘crocodile tears’.
After police began their investigation into Allan’s frauds she was released on bail.
But last May she used her position at a car sales firm to advertise vehicles and obtain payments from three unsuspecting customers totalling £37,676.
Allan’s barrister Gurdit Singh said Allan fell into a ‘vicious cycle of debt’ after taking out Payday loan when she was 18.
Allan scammed her own brother by taking out personal loans in his name, Bradford Crown Court heard
Bradford Crown Court (pictured) heard some victims had been reimbursed by Lloyds Bank, but there was still an unaccounted sum of £167,796.40
Mr Singh said Allan had expressed genuine remorse and recognised the significant impact on her victims.
Mr Singh said that some of the victims had in fact submitted character references on behalf of his client and submitted there was a strong prospect of rehabilitation.
But Recorder Bryan Cox KC said Allan, who admitted fraud, had shown persistence and a considerable degree of sophistication in her offending.
Jailing Allan, he told her: ‘You abused your position at Lloyds and you set up a convincing fake Lloyds share scheme.
‘You used that scheme to extract money from friends and family and other people you were acquainted with and you effectively used your job as a cover.’
