UK jockeys and policed baffled as crooks keep raiding riders’ bank accounts with £200,000 missing
High-profile riders have been targeted in the brazen thefts as conmen clear out the accounts of horsemen
JOCKEYS and police are baffled as to how crooks are clearing out their savings by brazenly walking into high-street banks and swiping their winnings.
The Professional Jockeys Association has revealed around £200,000 has been pinched from about 30 jockeys since 2014 but detectives have no clue how fraudsters are withdrawing the cash from the accounts of the horse racing stars.
No jockeys have been individually named but the governing body admits some of the most high-profile figures in the game have been hit by the raiders.
The PJA’s latest newsletter has warned riders the only way to avoid having their pockets picked is to clear out their accounts until they can work out how to stop the thieves.
PJA chief executive Paul Struthers told the BBC: “The question we are struggling to understand is how they know where each of the jockeys bank and how they are getting access to the account.
“That is what is perplexing us.
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“It has just got to the stage now where between us and the BHA (British Horseracing Authority) we have realised that a combination of the incompetence or the unwillingness of the banks to deal with it means the only advice we can give jockeys is to get off the High Street."
West Midlands Police said a 38-year-old man was under investigation and inquiries were still ongoing.
Financial Fraud Action UK believes the rogues are using stolen or doctored documents to convince banks to hand over the money.
A spokesman said: “The spate of crimes targeting jockeys suggests fraudsters may have gained access to data relating to these victims”.