A Virgin Media O2 employee from Taunton has been fined for selling confidential customer information, which was used in a cryptocurrency scam defrauding investors of over £1.5 million. Luke Coleman, aged 30, admitted to unlawfully obtaining and disclosing personal data in violation of the Data Protection Act.
Coleman sold the private data to Nicholas Harper, a family friend, enabling a boiler room operation that swindled 65 investors out of £1,541,799. While Harper pleaded guilty to aiding the breach of data protection laws, he was acquitted of conspiracy to defraud charges following a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) trial.
For his offenses, Coleman was fined £384, with additional charges including a £38 victim surcharge and £500 towards prosecution costs. Harper faced a £100 fine and a £30 victim surcharge related to data protection violations.
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Steve Smart, executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA, condemned Coleman for abusing his position of trust and facilitating crimes that caused severe financial and emotional harm to victims. He emphasized that this case marks the FCA’s first prosecution under the Data Protection Act, signaling a firm stance against those enabling criminal activity.
The wider scam involved Raymondip Bedi from Bromley and Patrick Mavanga from Peckham, who conducted cold calls to sell fraudulent crypto investments between 2017 and 2019. At Southwark Crown Court, Bedi was sentenced to five years and four months in prison, while Mavanga received six years and six months.
Judge Griffiths described Bedi and Mavanga as key conspirators who exploited regulatory gaps to deceive investors into fake cryptocurrency consultancy schemes. Steve Smart reiterated that such criminals will face consequences, emphasizing the FCA’s commitment to holding perpetrators accountable.