Fraudsters allegedly posted fake adverts for work at Harrods on a website as part of a £1 million scam to trick desperate job hunters of their savings, a court heard today.

The Nigerian gang recruited a British computer whizzkid Tyrone Ellis to write ‘Trojan’ malware which were hidden in job application pack downloads posted on the free website Gumtree.

Once embedded on computers, the software copied bank log on and security details of those seeking work before forwarding them on to the gang, the court was told.

The gang would then empty the accounts taking everything they had, which in some cases amounted to just £400 and in other cases £4,700, the Old Bailey said.

‘Mules’ were then hired to go to banks and withdraw the cash or the gang would go on an online shopping spree, it was heard.

The fraud was uncovered when job seekers complained to Harrods that their computers had become infected when they downloaded an application form, the court heard.

The store’s director of security Gregory Faulkener then responded to an advert, downloaded and quarantined the application pack and called in American ‘phishing’ experts.

Finding the malware, he then contacted Scotland Yard’s economic crime unit while sending an e-mail warning the gang to stop using Harrods name.

Undeterred the gang continued to post over 415 further fake job adverts for other jobs such as a £25,000 sales assistant with Securestore.

Tracing the unique IP addresses used to post the jobs free online with Gumtree, police raided homes connected to the gang over nine months after the first fake job adverts were posted in late August 2010.

But only in 2012 were the whole gang be rounded up – from the number of emails, accounts and texts it is estimated they scammed their victims out of ‘in excess of £1 million.’

Walton Hornsby, prosecuting, told the jury the gang themselves even referred to the scam as the ‘Gumtree fraud.’

He said: ‘It specifically targeted people looking for jobs.

‘A decision was made someone applying for a job is perhaps more keen to cooperate and comply with any instructions given by someone that seems to be positively responding to their application by inviting them to download an application pack.

‘In August and early September 2010 a number of adverts appeared on Gumtree advertising various jobs at Harrods, a rather attractive post you may think.’

Those responding were in return then sent an e-mail pretending to be from the respected Blue Arrow recruitment agency inviting them ‘to fill in that application pack for further consideration.’

Mr Hornsby said: ‘Although a number of persons had doubts about downloading an application pack, many did so. Almost immediately there started to appear to be problems with their computers.

‘What in fact happened that application pack was no application pack at all.

‘It was a virus that had been specifically programmed to be released onto the computers once you have clicked on that application and downloaded it.’

Once embedded the software waited until the user tried to access their online bank accounts.

The unsuspecting user would then be redirected to fake sites ‘which looked all the world that it was a genuine bank site they were trying to contact’ before the gang’s software stole log on details.

However, he added: ‘In late summer and early Autumn 2010 a number of individuals complained to Harrods that they had applied for job adverts and downloaded an application pack and a virus was released onto their computer.’

The court heard the suspected fraudsters were originally from Nigeria and were close friends all living in south London and all were studying or had studied IT.

It is alleged the malware was mainly written by whizz kid Ellis, 27, with the help of brothers Southampton Solent University graduate Ajibola Akinlabi, 26; Portsmouth University graduate Babatunde Akinlabi, 28; Damilare Oduwole, 26; and Olalekan Awosile, 27.

The five plus Awosile’s 48-year-old care worker mother Folasade Balogun, whose internet connection was used to post some of the job adverts, deny conspiracy to defraud.

Ellis denies developing second generation phishing programmes for mobile smart phones and paypal when arrested.

The Akinlabi brothers deny a online banking scam carried out in late 2008 when they used compromised bank details for online shopping.

Awosile also denies conspiracy to commit fraud by abuse of position with his girlfriend Nadine Windley who worked as a Santander cashier who passed on bank details of account holders with more than £100,000.

The trial continues.

Read more: Daily Mail