Men jailed after scamming people in the South East out of cash and jewellery worth £416,000
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Between February and September 2021, the group, which operated from the Reading area, targeted elderly people across a number of counties.
Hampshire Police said the group attempted to scam at least 42 people – with an average age of 78 – with the oldest being 90 and the youngest aged 57.
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Hide AdThey managed to get money and expensive jewellery from 27 victims living in Hampshire, London, Surrey, Kent and Sussex.


The total amount received was £116,000 in cash, while two victims gave them jewellery estimated to be worth a minimum of £300,000.
Winchester Crown Court heard the group, led by ring leader Faris Kayani, adopted a courier fraud tactic to target the individuals.
They used four telephone handsets operating from Reading town centre and called the victims while purporting to be police officers.
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Hide AdThe fraudsters claimed the people had been the victim of a fraud or that the police were investigating staff at their local bank for committing fraud.
The victims were told to call 999 from their phone to verify the identity of the caller. However, the line was intentionally kept open by the scammer and the call was not disconnected.
The victims then believed they had made a new call and that they were speaking to a legitimate officer, however they were still speaking with the scammer.
The victims were asked to assist a police investigation and to withdraw money so it could be checked for counterfeit notes and be sent for fingerprint analysis.
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Hide AdSome victims were persuaded that the contents of safety deposit boxes, which contained expensive jewellery, were not safe where they were.
This was all part of the scam and couriers were sent to the victim’s home to collect the money and items.
Officers from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Economic Crime Investigation Team launched an investigation and arrested members of the Organised Crime Gang.
Three men and three women were charged. Yesterday (January 29), three men were jailed for a combined total of 12 years and 20 months at Salisbury Crown Court. All information comes directly from Hampshire Police.
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Hide Ad- Faris Kayani, 30, of Ambrook Road, Reading, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was jailed for five years and six months.
- Saqib Mahmood, 28, of Cressingham Road, Reading, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was jailed for three years and seven months.
- Luc Williams, 24, of Coalport Way, Tilehurst, Reading, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was jailed for three years and seven months.
- Leonnie Charles, 22, of Eastgate Court, Reading, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and is due to be sentenced on Thursday, April 3.
- Sasha Weeks, 23, of Dawlish Road, Reading, pleaded guilty to money laundering and received a nine month custodial sentence, suspended for two years at Winchester Crown Court on December 20. She must also carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
- Victoria Mooney, 34, of Bath Road, Padworth, Reading, pleaded guilty to money laundering and received a 10 month custodial sentence, suspended for two years at Winchester Crown Court on December 20.
Detective Constable Michael Dumbleton, from the Economic Crime Investigation Team, said: “First and foremost, I would like to praise the patience of the victims and their families for what was a very long and complex investigation.
“My colleagues and I worked tirelessly to help secure charges and the evidence from victims helped us secure this outcome.
“This was an elaborate and incredibly heartless scam run by an Organised Crime Gang who preyed on elderly people living in a number of counties.
“Their despicable actions had a huge impact on many victims who have not only seen a huge financial loss, but have also been left with psychological damage as a result of a cruel and wicked scam.
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Hide Ad“I urge anyone who has an elderly relative to make them aware of this type of fraud as soon as possible.
“These incidents can often have a huge impact on victims as they come to terms with the fact they have fallen for a scam, and the financial losses that come with it, and in some cases the loss of generations of family jewellery.
“We do not want anyone to fall victim to these scammers and we have issued crime prevention advice to try to reach residents; so that they are aware of this type of contact and can avoid becoming a victim of courier fraud.
“Please remember that banks, police or other officials will not contact people in this way and will not request them to hand over bank cards, PIN details, cash or other valuables.
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Hide Ad“If anyone receives a call of this nature, they should not engage with the caller and hang up. We are wholly committed to investigating offences of this nature and will take steps to identify and bring those individuals responsible to justice.”
Please remember that:
- Police officers, banks and other organisations such as HMRC will never call people in this way and ask you to withdraw money or disclose personal or financial information. If someone does do this, please hang up – it will be a scam.
- If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their ID number and police force. Wait at least five minutes before verifying details with the appropriate Force by calling 101 – do not use any number they provide unless you can confirm it as genuine. Ensure the call has disconnected as scammers will often leave the line open or use another phone altogether. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check their identity (it’s a sign that it is a scam if the person becomes pushy or stresses urgency).
- Take a step back from everything and take a few moments to think. Speak to a trusted friend or relative for their opinion before agreeing to anything. The fraudster’s tactic is often to keep the victim busy talking and isolated. They stress that they should not tell anyone else about the call.
- Your bank or the police will never send a courier to your home to collect cash, bank cards, PINs or other valuable goods.
- If you are a friend, relative or carer of someone you think might be vulnerable to this type of scam, please speak to them about this advice. You might be the only person who can stop them from being scammed.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, report it by calling 101. If a crime is in progress, dial 999. You can make yourself aware of this type of scam and how to protect yourself by visiting the Action Fraud website or by calling them on 0300 123 2040.