A gambling addict swindled his pals in an elaborate scam. Scott Clode exploited the trust of fellow sports club members in Cardiff to trouser tens of thousands of pounds.
Cardiff Crown Court heard the 33-year-old preyed on people he knew from Radyr cricket club and Llandaff squash club. He conned eight victims out of a total of £41,320 and there was another “victim” who chose not to support a prosecution, the court was told.
Clode hung his head low in the dock as he heard how his crimes had triggered panic attacks, financial struggles, and “massive humiliation” for people who had considered him a close friend.
Prosecutor Abdallah Barakat said the defendant spun lies about a “mystery shopper” scheme offered by a market research agency called Retail Active. He claimed he was acting as a “platinum ambassador” but in reality the firm had no knowledge of his actions.
“He would invite victims to send him money so they could get vouchers from businesses that worked with Retail Active,” said Mr Barakat. “He would do so on the false pretence that they would be reimbursed the money they’d paid.”, reports Wales Online.
“Mr Clode told them they would be reimbursed within weeks as long as they used the vouchers and they photographed and reviewed their experiences.
“They just had to send him the reviews and photos, which he would then send to Retail Active. Soon thereafter they would get a refund, he told them.
“He had fabricated the scheme to obtain money to fund his gambling addiction. Once the victims realised what had happened he apologised in a group chat and stated that he was suffering with a gambling addiction.”
One of the victims, Simon Walters, had known Clode for 15 years through the cricket club. In 2023 the defendant sold him the con that he could enjoy an expenses-paid holiday as long as he reviewed his experience.
Mr Walters handed over more than £15,000 and received £10,000 worth of Tui holiday vouchers from Clode. “The vouchers were genuine and some victims did benefit from the experience of those vouchers,” said the prosecutor. “But they would never have done it in the first place had they known they would not be reimbursed.”
In a victim impact statement Mr Walters said: “It was all very convincing at the time. My wife told me to trust her and not my mate. It caused me massive humiliation and I feel betrayed by Scott. It’s affected my confidence in people.
“If he’d told me he was in a couple of thousand pounds’ debt and needed help we would have got together and helped him. It’s the detail and planning and deceit that really annoy me.
“When my mum was on her deathbed he was asking how she was. In his next breath he was asking about Tui vouchers.”
Another Radyr cricket club member, Rhys Lloyd, had been mates with the defendant for 14 years. He transferred £11,000 to Clode and received around £7,000 worth of vouchers with no further compensation. Karl Ford, a cricketer who was duped into paying Clode for Tui vouchers, revealed: “I had sleepless nights and panic attacks. I had to go into my overdraft for the first time. Words such as ‘voucher’ now trigger me and take me back to the scam.”
The court heard that some victims did not receive any vouchers at all. One recounted losing savings intended for a house. Another disclosed they had lost money set aside for their wedding, adding: “I have not told my family out of embarrassment.
“Falling for such a scam is something I had only heard about in the media,” one victim confessed. “I always questioned how people could fall for it. Now I understand anyone could be tricked by someone like Scott Clode.”
Clode, from Heol Seddon in Danescourt, admitted to eight counts of fraud committed between June 2023 and November 2024. He had no prior convictions.
His barrister, Ieuan Callaghan, gestured towards six of Clode’s loved ones who were present in the public gallery to support him. “His family and friends paint a picture that, aside from this addiction, he is a really good person,” he informed the court.
Mr Callaghan then addressed the defendant, who was slumped low in the dock, and continued: “He is in a state of some distress. The victims’ statements have been difficult for him to listen to.
“He did not do this to live a lavish lifestyle. He really was driven by a gambling disorder which he had struggled with for years. In 2018 he was bailed out twice – first by his dad and then by his mum.
“In 2022, when he relapsed and these offences happened, he was treating the scheme as a payday loan without any interest to be paid by him.
“He thought that by sending vouchers and promising things to these people – and many did receive genuine vouchers – he could pay them back from gambling winnings. It sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud – and it was – but that was the addiction he was going through.”
The barrister explained that a psychiatric report revealed his client would not have carried out the fraud without suffering from a gambling disorder. Clode has secured a new “well-paying” position in robotic process automation and has been making attempts to slowly repay the victims, Mr Callaghan added.
Judge Gregory Bull KC told the defendant: “You abused your close friendships at the sports clubs. Some people didn’t get vouchers at all and in other cases there were no reimbursements.
“The fraud had a devastating effect on more than one of your victims. They will find it hard to forgive you knowing you abused them in the way you did. You struck at their sense of security and feelings of integrity. This was a serious crime.”
However, the judge considered the medical report and determined Clode had prospects for rehabilitation. “Prison would be damaging and set back the rehabilitation you have achieved so far,” he said. Judge Bull handed down a two-year prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. Upon hearing this, Clode let out a deep sigh and became tearful, while his family in the gallery gasped and hugged each other.
Clode is required to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activity and 240 hours of unpaid work. A proceeds of crime hearing is scheduled for September to decide on a financial penalty and compensation.