A CROOKED cashier has been jailed for six years for trying to help a gang swindle £2.7million from bank customers.

Derek Annan, 24, worked for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Colchester and Chelmsford.

He gave fraudsters personal details, including passwords and security details, relating to 33 accounts.

About £135,000 was stolen from the accounts and there were attempts to take another £2.6million.

Fraudsters stole chequebooks and Annan, of Gower Place, Chafford Hundred, provided them with the information they needed to raid the accounts.

CCTV footage revealed Annan used his mobile phone to take photographs from the computer screen of account information that would be passed to fraudsters.

He was found guilty of 11 counts of fraud and one of attempted fraud, and was jailed for six years on Friday.

Det Chief Insp Dave Carter, head of the unit, said: “This was a shocking crime, given the sums involved.

“Annan abused his position to defraud bank customers.

“We are pleased the judge has given him a sentence which reflects the seriousness of his crime.

“This prosecution demonstrates the protections in place as a result of co-operation between the banks and law enforcement, and should act as a deterrent to others considering this type of crime.”

An investigation was launched in May 2011 and Annan was arrested six months later.

He commited the offences between January and March of that year. In March this year he was arrested again and was convicted after a trial at the Old Bailey.

One business could have lost £836,000 after 98 attempts by the gang to put through 98 cheques.

Annan was caught after an operation by a dedicated cheque and bank card crime unit, sponsored by the banking industry.