A man and woman were today jailed for a total of 14 years for their part in a £15,000 phishing scam to fund organised crime.

Constanta Agrigoroaie, 23, and Radu Savoae, 28, of Mornington Avenue, Ilford, were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court after pleading guilty to fraud, possessing fraudulent ID cards and owning equipment to make fake bank and ID cards.

Agrigoroaie and Sacoae were sentenced to six and eight years imprisonment respectively.

The duo sent emails claiming to be Apple to over 150 victims, informing them their account had been compromised and to update their details via a link to a bogus website.

When the unsuspecting victims updated their information, including bank details, an email was sent directly to the pair, who extracted large amounts of money.

This money was then used to purchase travel tickets to allow foreign offenders to enter the UK to commit crime on London's transport network.

On April 4, officers arrested Agrigoroaie and Sacoae at their home address in Mornington Avenue.

Chief Superintendent of Roads and Transport Policing Command, Matt Bell, said: "This phishing duo took advantage of many internet users and duped them into providing their personal information.

"However as a result of a tireless investigation by the RTPC, they have been jailed which has no doubt prevented numerous bank customers from becoming victims of this crime.

"It is so important that internet users are aware of the risks posed by cyber criminals.

"Today's sentence is testament to how serious this type of crime is and should stand as a deterrent to anyone who might consider undertaking 'phishing' scams."