A FORMER Bolton Wanderers boss and a trio of ex-Whites players were lured into a luxury Christmas hamper scam before having money stolen from their accounts, a court heard.

Sam Allardyce – who held the top job at the Reebok Stadium between 1999 and 2007 and is touted as the next England manager – is one of the 13 victims of alleged conman Stephen Ackerman.

The 48-year-old defendant is standing trial accused of a string of fraud offences against players and backroom staff at West Ham United FC, including former Bolton footballers Neil McDonald, Joey O'Brien and Kevin Nolan.

Ackerman visited the east London club's training ground on December 12 2014 "with all the trappings of a successful businessman", driving a black Range Rover and sporting a silver watch, prosecutor Richard Milne told jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London, on Monday. (July 18)

Under the pseudonym 'Mark Kingston', Ackerman allegedly set up a stall to tempt staff and players with seasonal hampers containing Belgian chocolates, Yorkshire crisps and champagne, offered at the heavily discounted price of £60 each.

He then used the details of five of those who paid for the hampers and cases of champagne by card to further defraud them, taking more than £50,000, the court heard.

Mr Milne said: "The defendant came up with a ruse - a fraud that he perpetrated against or on West Ham employees at their training ground.

"There was a bigger fish to fry. What this defendant wanted was to get hold of bank card details and the PIN numbers of these Premier League employees.

"They were taken in by the trappings of success and were exploited and defrauded by putting in orders both by cash and by card.

"These players, management, employees paid up and they never got their goods, their champagne and their hampers.

"There were no hampers and no champagne for Christmas for the players that year - certainly not from Mark Kingston."

Mr Allardyce, who left West Ham United in 2015 and now manages Sunderland, is said to have been defrauded out of £270 in unfulfilled orders and then a further £13,000 in "unauthorised transactions".

Mr McDonald, who played for Wanderers during the 94/95 season and was Mr Allardyce's assistant manager at the Hammers before lastly managing Blackpool FC until May, is said to have lost £60.

The charges state Mr O'Brien was left £758 out of pocket and Mr Nolan £180.

Ackerman, of Loughton, Essex, denies 19 counts of fraud.

The trial continues.