A man from East London who committed £280,000 of fraud has been sentenced (9 November 2022) at Southwark London Crown Court to two years and six months in prison.
Adil Mohammed, 28, of East London, pleaded guilty to committing fraud by false representation, for being in possession of articles for use in fraud and for money laundering offences following a successful investigation by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), a specialist police unit that is funded by the banking and finance industry.
The victim was duped into believing they were being called by their bank. They were told there was an issue with their bank card and that the card would need to be collected by a courier, alongside their personal details and mobile phone. Upon retrieving these items, Mohammed used the victim’s cards to purchase luxury items and money was also withdrawn from ATM machines.
The fraud was spotted by the bank and referred to the DCPCU to investigate. Officers executed a search warrant at Mohammed’s home address on 13 September 2022, during which evidence linked to the fraud was recovered, including designer goods and £100,000 in cash.
Additionally, officers identified that Mohammed was using the victim’s funds to pay for a storage unit. This was searched and contained designer goods with an auction estimated value between £137,850 and £180,600.
Mohammed pleaded guilty and received a custodial sentence of two years and six months. The victim was refunded by their bank.
Detective Constable Dan Jordan, at the DCPCU, said:
“Mohammed callously tricked an unsuspecting victim into handing over their bank cards and card details for his own personal gain.
“By working with the banking and finance industry we were able to bring him to justice.
“This sentencing is a warning to those who believe they can benefit financially from fraud that they will be caught and punished.”
