Alex Wood, a former prolific fraudster who conned people out of millions before serving multiple prison sentences, has now turned his life around and is teaching the public how to spot scams. Once a musical prodigy who performed at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, Wood's career was cut short by a wrist injury, leading him down a path of crime.
From Violinist to Fraudster
Wood's music career ended abruptly at age 24 due to a strain injury in his right wrist. He then became a prolific fraudster, sometimes netting as much as £1 million in a single 40-minute phone scam. 'I committed every sort of fraud you could possibly imagine for about 25 years,' he said.
After three jail stints, Wood now works as a poacher-turned-gamekeeper, advising the public on how to avoid being fleeced. He is part of the BBC's Scam Secrets team and has written a new book, Facing the Music: From Her Majesty's Palaces to Her Majesty's Prisons.
How the Scam Worked
Wood's biggest criminal enterprise involved a multi-million pound cyber-authorised push payment fraud. He phoned companies pretending to be from their bank and convinced them to transfer tens of thousands of pounds. Together with an accomplice he met in prison, Wood defrauded 12 companies across the UK, with losses against three companies totalling nearly £1.8 million.
Wood explained his method: 'We were targeting medium-sized businesses, and I knew that in the UK, a medium-sized business either banks with Barclays or NatWest – they have about 85% of the market. So I phone up as Barclays, and if somebody said they didn't bank with Barclays, I'd just remember that number and phone back the week later saying I'm from NatWest.'
How to Avoid Being the Next Victim
Wood points out that fraud accounts for about 45% of all reported crime yet receives only one to two percent of the police budget. His advice is to apply zero-trust principles to any unexpected request for payment, even if it appears to come from family. 'Fraudsters would always try to rush their victims into making a mistake,' he said.
His number one piece of advice: 'When someone is trying to make you hand money over quickly, that's when it's important to step back, take five, and just check. If the bank phones you up, they won't mind if you hang up and phone back on a different number.'
If you suspect a scam, you can report it to Report Fraud, which recently replaced Action Fraud as the National Reporting Service.
A Life of Crime
Wood's criminal activity began at age 16 when he stole gift vouchers from a summer job at Burton's menswear. After losing his music career, his offences escalated. His first prison stint became an apprenticeship in crime, where he learned from more experienced criminals how to commit elaborate frauds.
After his release, Wood posed as the 13th Duke of Marlborough, booking into top London hotels and instructing staff to send the bills to Blenheim Palace. During one stay at Claridges in Mayfair, he spent almost £1,800 in just three days. He was jailed for a second time in 2015, but his biggest crime was yet to come.
Alex Wood will be appearing at The Hunter and the Hunted event at Cheltenham Science Festival on Tuesday, June 2.
