Mariya Ouvarova defrauded her boyfriend’s mother of £17k, leading to a suspended jail sentence days before her wedding.
Ouvarova, 35, previously worked for Radisson and Hilton. Her wedding to Valenti’s son was imminent. She tricked Valenti’s Standard Life and Barclays accounts by pretending to be Valenti on the phone.
She also impersonated someone from Standard Life. She asked Valenti for her personal details, then she fooled Standard Life employees. Ouvarova moved money to fake accounts under Valenti’s name.
Over £7,300 went from Valenti’s pension between 2017 and 2018. Ouvarova also moved £10,000 from Barclays in 2019 and 2020, as she knew Valenti’s login information.
The crimes came to light in 2020, right before her wedding. Ouvarova confessed after being confronted and promised to repay the money, but she never did.
Standard Life was aware of the fraud but couldn’t find the person responsible. Valenti couldn’t pay her debts and faced debt collectors, even though she had known Ouvarova for ten years.
Valenti said she felt betrayed and lived in stress because of the crime, which led to declining health. She went to intensive care three times in 2024, trusting Ouvarova like family.
Her son still has nightmares. Ouvarova tried to repay £2,640 before her Monzo account was frozen. She also worked at Jury’s Inn and Campanile and tried starting a business.
Debt caused her to commit the crimes, as she owed £15,000 to £20,000. Ouvarova used alcohol and cannabis to cope with stress and had a pregnancy issue in 2020.
Ouvarova takes medicine for depression and sent many apology letters. She spoke openly to a probation officer, acknowledging how bad the crimes were.
Ouvarova cares for her sick patients and recently took a cybersecurity class. She wants to stop others from fraud. In 2020, she emailed the police, asking about complaints against her.
Police visited in July 2021, but Ouvarova wasn’t home. They interviewed her in March 2024, where she admitted to the fraud.
Ouvarova pleaded guilty to fraud charges. The judge suspended her jail sentence, considering she was trying to change. The sentence was 20 months, suspended for 24.
Ouvarova must pay £1,000 compensation and complete 30 days of activities. The crimes took place in Birmingham, and her address is near Stoke-on-Trent.