One woman, who had lost about £20,000 in a gambling fraud several years earlier, ended up paying the gang more than £82,500 after meeting them in Birmingham, the judge said.
A 79-year-old man, who had also lost about £20,000 in an earlier scam, gave the fraudsters £6,680, while a woman was “pressured” into paying them more than £21,000, the court heard.
A fourth victim, who had lost £183,000 in a horse racing scam, met the fraudsters at the Belfry Hotel in Sutton Coldfield but was “suspicious” and refused to give them any money, “despite persistent attempts” to get her to do so, the judge said.
Call and Palmer would sometimes arrive in a Bentley loaned to them by Ratcliffe, who was jailed for 14 years in January 2024 for drug offences and a further two years three months in February this year for cheating the public revenue.
“That car gave the appearance of success and wealth thereby encouraging the victims to participate by increasing the level of trust placed in the perpetrators,” Judge Laird said.