Serious case of fraud, Care home manager defrauds 99-year-old pensioner of nearly one million euros and she‘s almost scout free

A deputy care home manager defrauded an elderly resident of hundreds of thousands of euros over a period of six years and spent the money on cosmetic surgery and luxury items.

Rebecca Louise Burwood worked as deputy manager of a care home in Mold, a small town in North Wales. Between 2017 and 2023, she persuaded a resident, who would now be 99 years old, to transfer ownership of a house worth the equivalent of around 475,000 euros to her, as reported by the Daily Mail. In addition, Burwood withdrew a further 440,000 euros from the elderly woman’s account over a period of five years, bringing the total to around 900,000 euros.

According to the Daily Mail, Burwood went to the elderly woman’s solicitor with a friend as early as 2018. The two of them had a Lasting Power of Attorney drawn up without informing the care home. The woman, who was helpless following a fall and had no relatives, according to the panel, also dependent on Burwood for social contact. Burwood is said to have exploited this and told her that outings would only be possible if she were given access to the money.

How the pensioner was defrauded: money spent on a car, a motorhome and cosmetic procedures

Burwood promised the woman, amongst other things, joint outings and bought a car and a motorhome for this purpose. She also had her own house extensively extended, explaining to the resident that she could stay there in the event of another Covid-19 lockdown. She used part of the money for cosmetic surgery.

It was not until March 2023 that the bank noticed that unusually large sums were being withdrawn from the 99-year-old’s account. Investigators found that Burwood had withdrawn £160,000 in cash from ATMs alone. The bank subsequently froze the account.

Care worker threatened elderly woman at the bank – case dropped

When the bank froze the account in 2023, the care worker accompanied the woman to the branch. Staff heard her threaten that she will not take care anymore of the woman at the care home, if she did not receive the money. Burwood partially denied the allegations. She claimed the woman had asked her to withdraw between 250 and 500 pounds a week for charitable purposes. There is no evidence to support this. Furthermore, the extension to the care home had already been paid for before the first lockdown was announced.

Although the police launched an investigation, the woman refused to press charges against her carer. As the victim did not file a complaint, the case was dropped. The elderly woman told the authorities that Burwood had “learnt from her mistakes”. The police subsequently closed the investigation. Time and again, people in need of care fall prey to fraudsters.

However, the care worker is banned from practising: Elderly woman deprived of her assets. In disciplinary proceedings against the woman, the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) referred to “manipulation and coercion” and a “persistent, calculated” course of action.

Francis Tawiah (Duisburg, Germany)