A rogue locksmith has been ordered to pay £700,000 following a five-year investigation into his criminal operation.
Mark Makowski, the former director of Pronto Locks Limited, unnecessarily drilled through locks when a normal locksmith's method of entry could have been used, then charged "exorbitant" prices for new locks to be fitted for vulnerable customers who had been locked out of their homes, Westminster Council in London said.
A five-year joint investigation by Westminster trading standards and Scambusters began in 2007 following complaints from customers who had been "duped" when employing Pronto Locks to regain entry to their homes.
He also fraudulently obtained chip and pin payment devices from Barclays Bank to present to customers who did not have cash on hand to pay for his services.
Makowski, who was given a four-year prison sentence in 2010 for 15 fraud offences, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Monday and ordered to pay £703,349.82 under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Westminster Council head of trading standards Sue Jones said: "I am delighted with the outcome of this confiscation hearing and that Mr Makowski has been deprived of the wealth he amassed through his criminal conduct.
"Trading standards will always consider using the Proceeds of Crime Act in appropriate criminal cases in order to confiscate criminally-derived assets."