He started out minding cars by Anfield before running a global scam

Liverpool Echo – A man who began his criminal career minding cars outside Anfield football stadium has escalated to orchestrating a sophisticated global scam, authorities revealed today.

Daniel "Danny" Hargreaves, 42, from Everton, started as a teenager in the 1990s, charging Liverpool fans £5 to watch their vehicles during matchdays at Anfield. What seemed like petty opportunism evolved into a life of organized crime. By his early 20s, Hargreaves was involved in car cloning and insurance fraud, using his street smarts to evade detection.

His big break came in 2015 when he launched "Global Ticket Masters," a fake online platform selling non-existent tickets for major events worldwide, including Premier League matches, Taylor Swift concerts, and the Olympics. Operating from a call center in Liverpool's Dingle area, the scam netted over £12 million in three years, affecting 50,000 victims across 20 countries.

Investigators from Merseyside Police and the National Crime Agency (NCA) described the operation as "highly professional." Hargreaves employed mules in Eastern Europe and the US to launder funds through cryptocurrency and luxury goods. He lived lavishly, owning properties in Spain, a fleet of supercars, and even a yacht moored in the Mediterranean.

The scam unraveled in 2023 after a whistleblower tip-off. Raids uncovered servers, fake documents, and £2 million in cash hidden in a Toxteth lock-up. Hargreaves was arrested alongside 15 accomplices. At Liverpool Crown Court, he was sentenced to 14 years for fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy.

Detective Inspector Sarah Mills said: "From Anfield car parks to international fraud, Hargreaves' story is a cautionary tale of unchecked ambition. Victims lost life savings; we're working to recover assets."

Hargreaves showed no remorse, claiming in court: "Everyone's at it – I just did it bigger." His early days minding cars now seem quaint compared to the global empire he built and lost.

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