Margarita Clark, 72, was sentenced to 43 months imprisonment for fraud after she fabricated a story about purchasing property in Spain and offered the victim a chance to invest
A conwoman who had previously been jailed for swindling £2.5m from her pals has found herself back behind bars after conning her former neighbour out of a whopping £118k.
Margarita Clark, 72, spun a web of lies about buying property in Spain and dangled the carrot of investment to the victim, promising a slice of the interest in return. Clark, hailing from Bayford, Hertfordshire, kept up the charade of phoney property tales to extract more cash from the unsuspecting victim, racking up around £118,000.
She splashed the ill-gotten gains on high-end fashion, a brand new motor and even managed to convince the victim to foot the bill for a plush trip to Dubai. The family of the victim uncovered Clark’s shady past with a simple Google search, revealing that she had been sentenced to 40 months in prison back in 2014, after fleecing friends of £2.5million.
In her previous scams, Clark had tricked six victims into parting with their life savings under the pretence of investing in bogus property deals, all while dining in posh restaurants and holidaying in the Caribbean. Clark was handed a 43-month sentence at St Albans Crown Court on September 13, after admitting to fraud by false representation.
The fraud began in 2018 when Clark struck up a friendship with a woman in her 70s who had relocated to the area following the death of her husband. The two became fast friends, often meeting for coffee and lunch, and after a chat about savings, Clark proposed the victim invest in Spanish property.
Over the next two years, Clark continued to fabricate more property tales to squeeze more funds from the victim, under the pretence of securing a cut of the interest. In October 2020, authorities were alerted by a family member who had looked up Clark online and suspected the victim had fallen prey to a scam.
It was discovered that Clark had previously been jailed for 40 months in 2014 for swindling over £2.5million from acquaintances over six years. The East Herts Local Crime Unit, aided by expert fraud investigators, launched a thorough and intricate probe.
As a result, Clark was charged in September 2023, and the case made its way through the judicial system. Detective Constable Emma Cozens, who spearheaded the investigation, stated: “Clark is a cold and calculating individual.”
“She took advantage of her victim, who was grieving the loss of her husband and had only recently moved to the area. The victim genuinely believed she had made a close friend and was left shocked and heartbroken when the truth was discovered.”
“I’m pleased that Clark is now behind bars. Discovering you’ve been a victim of fraud can have a devastating impact. Many people are too worried or embarrassed to report what has happened to them. If you think you may have been approached in similar circumstances, please do contact police. We take all reports seriously and have specialist teams on hand to help.”
