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Three Years: Hussein |
Two
heartless fraudsters, who convinced a vulnerable pensioner to hand
over thousands of pounds, have been jailed after bank staff realised
their customer was being scammed.
Mohammed
Hussein, 23, of Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell received three years and
Yasen Ahmed, 21, of Durham Road, Luton received two years.
They
were convicted at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court of conspiring to
defraud the 77 year-old man who made two large withdrawls from his
account and then £10,000 cash on the same day.
The
court had heard how on March 26 the pensioner entered his bank in
Richmond town centre and asked to withdraw £10,000 from his account.
The
bank-staff became concerned when they noticed that the elderly
gentlemen had made two earlier large withdrawals from his bank that
same day.
The
staff at the bank called police, as they were afraid he might be the
victim of a crime.
When
police arrived the elderly man told them that the day before he had
received a phone call purporting to be from a well known department
store.
The
store told him they were checking as his credit card had been used to
buy a large quantity of goods, but in reality he was talking to the
defendants.
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Two Years: Ahmed |
When
he put the phone down the pensioner phoned his bank and was surprised
to get through straight away.
In
fact he was talking to an accomplice of the original man who had
simply not hung up the phone to keep the phone line open.
The
bogus bank staff told him to withdraw his money and not to mention
the reason to any staff working at his bank.
Police
explained that this was an attempt to defraud him and accompanied the
victim back to his home.
While
police were at his home he received another call from the fraudsters,
who asked if he had withdrawn the money and suggested that he place
his cash in a box for a courier to collect.
However,
he turned the tables by pretending to go along with the fraud and
send the money.
When
a taxi driver arrived to collect the cash police spoke to the driver
and told him he was being used to commit a fraud.
The
driver gave the address he had been told take the box and a police
officer went in the cab; followed by officers in an unmarked car.
When
the taxi arrived in Warner Street, Clerkenwell it was met by two men.
Kamal
Hussein leaned into the front passenger window and asked for the
package.
He
was quickly arrested while his accomplice Yasen Ahmed ran and was
chased and caught by officers.
Detective
Constable Becky Springford of Kingston CID said. “This sort of
offence is all too common and the victims are usually the elderly or
vulnerable.
“It
was only by the bank staff being alert that this man did not loose
his savings.
“Thankfully,
with the cooperation of their potential victim, police were able to
turn the tables on these men.
“This
was a despicable crime that tried to steal money from a man who had
saved for his old age.
“In
these circumstances the prison sentence is totally justified.”