'Career criminals' from Portsmouth who defrauded nearly £500k in elaborate credit card scheme are jailed

Two career criminals who ran a "sophisticated" con with stolen credit card information have been jailed.

Yusef Tourino and George Campion defrauded almost half a million pounds from businesses up and down the country, using credit cards and refund requests.

Tourino, 28 from Gamble Road, Buckland, was described as the "ringleader", who would pay for something at a business using stolen credit cards, then manipulate the receipt using the card machine - to make it look like he had been over-charged.

He would then ask for a refund, which he would send to his personal bank account instead. This scheme saw Tourino gallivanting through Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and even north Wales, targeting businesses - with a particular focus on vets, hotels, and Specsavers stores.

Campion, 25 of Cedar Grove, Baffins, was one of his accomplices, distracting staff at hotels, bars and other clubs while the fraud was carried out.

Tourino, who defrauded an estimated £462,000 from businesses, was changed with 64 counts of fraud, as well as three counts of possessing criminal property and two counts of theft. Campion was charged with two counts of theft from a shop, six counts of fraud, one count of theft and one count of perverting the course of justice. Both pleaded guilty when they appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court in April.

Prosecuting, Mark Ruffell said: “There are losses to the people whose card details have been stolen, and losses to the businesses that delivered the refunds. These offences were of a sophisticated nature, with planning and a large number of victims.

“There was specific targeting of veterinary practices and hotels. Tourino’s persuasive, sometimes threatening, manner is all part of the con. There is evidence that he spent the proceeds on expensive clothing, shopping at Harrods and Louis Vuitton. We would suggest he is a career criminal - and fraud has been one of his specialties.

“Turning to Campion, he provided assistance to Tourino when the fraud was taking place, and the theft of the card machines. He allowed his card and bank account to be used, which were essential parts of the offences being committed. He was at the front line of the offending for a month.”

In mitigation, the court was told how Tourino was committing the offences to pay off a substantial drug debt of £150,000 - having previously used an average of £300 of cocaine every day. The defendant had acknowledged that he was “going to prison, and for a long time,” but had made plans to settle down in the future, returning to lawful employment.

As for Campion, solicitor Adam Furze said: “He allowed Tourino to use his bank account to move funds, but he did not receive any benefit of that himself. Fundamentally, he wants to put this behind him and resume his career plans. He’s starting to turn things around.”

Sentencing, Judge Michael Bowes KC said: “You used credit cards, stolen by Tourino, to generate over-payments so that a business would be obligated to make a refund. That refund would be sent to another account, thereby creating a credit.

“You used credit card processing machines in stores to process refunds, sometimes in the presence of an employee. You made an amount close, if not exceeding, £500,000. This caused massive losses to others, and ends with you both in prison.

“You had access to freshly stolen credit card information, so that they could be used before being stopped by the account owner or bank. You must have received these through some form of criminal network. You are career criminals, with a multiplicity of offences. Sentences in the past have not deterred you at all.

Tourino was sentenced to 63 months in prison, concurrent for all offences. Campion was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Rob Havelock of the South East Organised Crime Unit’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “This sentence is a result of a lengthy and complex investigation, demonstrating the hard work and tenacity of our teams.

“The investigation team worked diligently, over a short period, to obtain CCTV from across the country as well as securing digital and financial evidence, which ultimately led to us securing criminal charges against Tourino.

“Forensic accounting showed that a total of £462,000 was obtained via fraudulent refunds and laundered between November 2023 and November 2025. Tourino, then used these funds to purchase high value goods and live a lifestyle he otherwise could not afford. Tourino and Campion may have thought they could get away with it, but our investigators stuck to the trail of the money and uncovered a series of bank accounts, set up via a network of money mules, for the purposes of layering the stolen funds.

“I hope this sends a clear message: anyone involved in this kind of scam, or trying to cheat the financial system, will be brought to justice.”