A North London pair impersonated police officers to coax vulnerable people and pensioners into handing over cash. Ahsan Naseer, 32, and Ismail Sarwar, 27, joined 30-year-old Hamza Ali from Luton in a horrific operation which saw £51k taken from seven victims.
Between April and July they orchestrated a cold calling campaign pretending to be detectives investigating fraudulent bank activity. It involved calling landline numbers across Essex, Hertfordshire, and Kent and coercing their victims into believing they could recoup financial losses by assisting with an undercover operation targeting corrupt bank officials.
This turned out to be fake, as instead the trio used it as an opportunity to exploit them. The victims were coerced into withdrawing vast amounts of cash and buying foreign currency or expensive jewellery to be handed to a courier as part of the sham investigation. This courier was just another member of the criminal network, and once the group had taken thousands of pounds from victims they would then cut off all contact.
The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit launched an investigation into this and arrested the group in July. They were found with burner phones, cash and expensive vehicles.
Along with the £51k already extorted, investigators found, attempts had been made to steal another £30k. After pleading guilty to fraud by false representation they were sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on August 28
- Hamza Ali, 30, of Challney Gardens, Luton, was jailed for three years
- Ahsan Naseer, 32, of Larch Road, Cricklewood, London, was jailed for three years
- Ismail Sarwar, 27, of High Road, Harlesden, London, was jailed for three years and given a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO).
All three men had previous convictions for similar offending. During the sentencing hearing, His Honour Judge Sheridan described the trio as “cruel and despicable” and noted the lack of regard they paid towards their victims. Investigators are now working to strip away all proceeds of their crimes.
Detective Inspector Mhairi Shurmer, from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), said: “Courier fraud is one of the most damaging crimes we deal with, and it is positive that all three will now spend extended spells behind bars.
“The impact this type of criminality has on victims cannot be overstated; some of society’s most trusting individuals have been brazenly taken advantage of, and I only hope that seeing the offenders being jailed provides some closure.
“I would urge anyone with loved ones who they think may be susceptible to courier fraud to have a conversation with them about the threat. Fraudsters can be incredibly convincing, but it’s important to remember that a police officer or bank employee will never ask you to withdraw and hand over cash or purchase foreign currency, gold bars or high value jewellery.”
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