A man has been jailed after defrauding 12 companies in a £36,000 fraud using fake businesses and aliases.

Police became aware of Jamie Jenkins, now 47 from Sunderland, when he was first reported in September 2020.

Through a long and detailed investigation, police uncovered that Jenkins had defrauded 12 companies, coming in at a total cost of £36,496.

Throughout each fraud, Jenkins used a variety of different alias names and created fake companies.

With some victims, he claimed online purchases from companies had not been received and tried to get a refund.

With others, he'd open a credit account for a fake company, buy items for this company, then claimed to have sent what was owed to the wrong bank account and was supposedly waiting for his bank account to trace the money.

For some, he just didn't pay their invoices and ignored all attempts at contact.

The court heard how one victim lost more than £10,000 through Jenkins claiming to have sent the money to the wrong bank account.

76 calls were recorded between the company and Jenkins (using a different alias) as the victim tried to claim the money back.

This victim wrote a Victim Personal Statement (VPS), which was read out by the Prosecutor on their behalf.

They detailed how this debt caused "immediate and serious cash-flow issues" and that "nearly £100,000 in loans and credit card debt that had been taken out in an attempt to save the business.

“Much of this originated from the losses caused directly by Jamie Jenkins. We continue to repay these debts today, with over £30,000 still outstanding.

"We experienced constant stress trying to keep the business afloat. We lost valuable time with our children because we were dealing with business pressures, lenders, and creditors,2 they continued.

“The emotional strain of watching our business collapse, something we had worked extremely hard to build, has stayed with us. The ongoing debt continues to cause stress, anxiety, and worry."

At least two companies were waiting on an invoice of more than £4,000.

For one of these companies, he even sent them proof of payment, which turned out to be fake, the court heard.

Items that Jenkins had stolen were also found at his home after his arrest.

Through the investigation police discovered he was selling a lot of the items on, via an online marketplace.

With some of the fake companies Jenkins created, he filed false accounts to show the company was worth over a million pounds for a better credit rating and to obtain larger amounts of credit from the victims.

Jenkins' other offences came to light following a search at his house after his arrest.

A passport and fake documents were found under the name of one of his aliases, which were being used to register on the electoral roll.

Jenkins was charged in June 2022 but repeatedly delayed the court process by dismissing his defence lawyers ahead of hearings.

On February 13, Jenkins was found guilty at Teesside Crown Court of 13 counts of fraud by false representation, and three counts of delivering false information to Companies House, the executive agency of the British Government that maintains the register of companies, employs the company registrars, and is responsible for incorporating all forms of companies in the United Kingdom.

On Friday (Mar 13) the 47-year-old was jailed for 40 months at Durham Crown Court.

On top of these offences, Jenkins was found guilty of providing false information to the electoral registration officer, and to making a false statement in an application for a postal vote at a local government election.

A hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act is scheduled for 21 April in relation to the forfeiture of items used in the fraud.

Detective Constable Neil Brodhurst from our Economic Crime Unit, who led the investigation, said: "This has been a long and complex investigation with tracing the many aliases back to Jenkins.

"He tried to pin the responsibility on another person, even though all the evidence showed he had created the alias names, companies as well as stolen property being recovered from his home address.

"Thankfully, the jury saw through Jenkins' lies and found him guilty by unanimous decision.

"It will have felt a long, drawn out process for the victims with our investigation beginning back in September 2020, but I'm pleased they now have justice. I hope it goes some way in helping them rebuild their lives, despite the financial hardships some of them are still dealing with."