Two charged following series of banking app scams 

Two men have been charged with fraud offences following their arrests at an address in Luton in December 2022.   

The arrests came after a lengthy investigation, carried out by Hertfordshire Constabulary's Case Investigation Team, into several banking app frauds across the county. 

Scammers used a convincing fake banking app to 'pay' for valuable goods such as phones and cameras that the victims were selling via online platforms. 

The app mimicked apps from a number of banks and appeared to show the funds being transferred to the victim's bank account. The victims genuinely believed the money had been transferred and handed over the goods only later to discover no money was ever received.  

Brian McDonagh, aged 49, and Martin McDonagh, aged 23, both of The Crossway, Luton, have been charged with two fraud offences, which occurred in Hemel Hempstead in January 2022. Both men were released whilst the investigation continues. 

If you believe that you are a victim of fraud please contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 to report. If a fraud is in progress or someone's life is in danger, call 999 immediately.