A fraudster who carried out a voucher scam affecting hard-up families has avoided jail.
Susan Paterson, 24, and co-accused David McSherry, 33, conned victims in the Gorbals who believed the pair had actually been helping them.
The crooked duo claimed to be employees of a housing organisation. McSherry and Paterson then used personal information to illegally claim £2,400 in benefits.
Some of the victims were hit after they were told they had used their voucher allocation as a result of being targeted.
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Both pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to fraud spanning between January and March 2022.
Paterson, of the city's Cranhill, was tagged this week for 180 days keeping her indoors between 10pm and 6am.
McSherry, of the city’s Sandyhills, - who also admitted racially abusing a man - was jailed for 13 months in February.
Sheriff Allan McKay said the fraud was "horrific."
He added: "It's quite frankly astonishing that you both got together and devised a scheme that removes from the neediest people in our society from the little they get from our government to stave off hunger and poverty.
"It is absolutely disgraceful and the custodial threshold has been met."
A written narrative handed to the sheriff stated that it was Paterson who came up with the scheme.
Residents of the Wheatley Group and Glasgow Housing Association in financial trouble could exchange food, gas or electricity vouchers for groceries or cash them in for money.
Paterson contacted McSherry to alert him and planned to collect the details of those involved to claim vouchers for themselves.
The pair used personal Facebook accounts to contact claimants as well as get information on people close to them such as family members.
The narrative said: "They made over 100 calls where they obtained or attempted to obtain vouchers in their own names and that of other people.
"In this time and excluding the vouchers that they were entitled to, they managed to fraudulently claim £1200 each in vouchers."
A member of staff was alerted to the con and was passed mobile numbers used by for bogus applications.
Police rang one of the numbers and it was McSherry who answered and he stated: "There's a girl called Susan as well."
McSherry also passed over Paterson's phone number.
She confessed and claimed she was "stupid."
An investigation carried out found that duped victims believed the approach by both were legitimate.
The narrative said: "Several witnesses, who provided them with their details, subsequently contacted the Wheatley organisation or housing to apply for vouchers to assist with their financial difficulties.
"Their applications were denied and they were advised they had received their full allocation.
“This was due to the actions of the McSherry and Paterson."
CCTV was also used to track where they cashed in the vouchers using their mobile phones which included a shop in the city's east end in March 2022.
David Hall, defending McSherry, told the court: "It is not like him to get involved in offences of this nature.
"His record shows public disorder and violence - fraud does not fit with it.
"When he spoke with the police, he knew why they wanted to speak with him."
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