A notable far-right activist known for his campaign against “illegal” migrants has received a suspended prison sentence due to his role in a major fraud scheme. This scheme duped numerous individuals, many of whom vulnerable, out of large sums of money.

Daniel Raymond Morgan co-founded the group “Voice of Wales” in Swansea, alongside fellow activist Stan Robinson. In 2021, their YouTube channel was permanently taken down due to its racist content. Morgan also had political aspirations, having stood as a UKIP candidate in the Senedd elections in 2021. However, his recent conviction casts a shadow over his political ambitions.

The case at Swansea Crown Court revealed the fraudsters’ tactics. They set up a call centre that sent out millions of scam phone messages in relation to the PPI scandal. Their ploy involved promising huge payouts for mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance policies. In reality, their goal was to obtain and misuse victims’ credit card information.

Many victims, including the elderly and vulnerable, were deceived into paying fees of up to £550 each, under the belief that they were entitled to significant PPI refunds. The court’s ruling highlighted the deliberate and planned nature of the fraud.

The prosecutor, Lee Reynolds, detailed how the company at the heart of this scam, operating under various names including HES Synergy Limited and HES Savings Audit Ltd, was meticulously planned to exploit the PPI scandal.

The call centre operated using misleading scripts, aiming to gather personal information and build trust with their victims. Their strategies included accessing private credit reports of individuals under the guise of “data protection” or “security checks.”

Legitimate PPI reclaim companies’ complaints against HES Synergy instigated a Ministry of Justice investigation in 2015. The company’s operations at Swansea Enterprise Park were raided, revealing the full extent of their fraudulent activities.

While the company had ceased its operations by the time of the raids, it wasn’t due to moral reasons but because they faced payment issues stemming from numerous chargebacks by disgruntled consumers.

The court’s findings were based on evidence including recorded phone calls and misleading call centre scripts. It was evident that lying was a common practice at the call centre.

Six defendants, including Morgan, faced convictions in January, with all remaining defendants later pleading guilty. Judge Huw Rees highlighted the calculated nature of the fraud, emphasizing the impact on individual victims and the industry’s reputation.

Morgan, aged 38, was implicated in the “Noddle team” that accessed people’s credit reports without authorization. He received a six-month suspended sentence with rehabilitation and mental health treatment requirements. Morgan’s defense cited his role as a father and lack of prior convictions as factors for leniency.

In addition to his fraudulent activities, Morgan’s far-right affiliations have been a source of concern. His YouTube channels, which he co-managed with Stan Robinson, were taken down in 2021 for promoting racist content, including interviews with extremist groups. Despite these controversies, Morgan pursued a political career, even standing in the Senedd elections under the UKIP banner.