Heywood man jailed for £64,000 banking scam

A Heywood man has been jailed for his role in a £64,000 banking scam.

Mohammad Khan, 28, of Trippear Way, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after appearing at Carlisle Crown Court on Friday (6 September 2019) where he admitted money laundering alongside Bilal Afzal, of Bolton, and Nikhil Reedye, of London.

Afzal, 21, was sentenced to 10 months after admitting money laundering, and Reedye, 20, was sentenced 12 months in a young offenders’ institute after being found guilty of money laundering.

The trio were trapped after detectives followed the money trail leading to these criminals.

The case came about when the woman, in her eighties, was phoned at her home in Kendal on 5 October 2016.

The caller claimed to be employed by a bank, giving out a name and an identity number.

He told the woman that there had been fraudulent activity on her account and to protect her money she was advised to move cash into so-called “safe accounts”.

The woman believed it was a genuine phone call and agreed to transfer her money.

She later realised her money had been stolen and she had been the victim of a phone scam.

The total amount stolen was £64,500.

Investigations led the officers to the bank accounts of the three men.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Rebecca Fox said: “These three men did not make a great deal of money out of this scam.

“But by allowing their bank accounts to be used they allowed this to happen – and led to this woman losing a large sum of money.

“The victim in this case suffered a huge financial loss and it caused her a great deal of distress.”

Speaking about the issue of this type of financial fraud in general, DC Fox said scams often involved so-called “money mules” who facilitated these crimes for other people further up the chain.

She added: “Some of these people might be tempted by what they think is easy money and allow their bank accounts to be used. Often they are young people with a bright future ahead of them.

“But a criminal record can have a big impact on future employment and other opportunities, meaning they could be paying for these crimes for most of their lives.

“We would urge anyone tempted by being involved in this type of crime to think again.”

DC Fox said following the money trail involved dogged detective work, including applications to the courts to look at bank accounts and examinations of financial records.

She said: “This is the type of work the public don’t see but is crucial in catching those carrying out this type of crime, which has the potential to strike anywhere.

“The people who carry out these crimes don’t have to be based in Cumbria – they could do this from anywhere.

“So that poses an added challenge in bringing them to justice.”

How to avoid telephone banking fraud

A bank or payment card company will never ask you to transfer money out of your account to another that you do not recognise, so hang up immediately. 

If you do think that the call may be authentic and you choose to call your bank or card issuer, call the number on your bank statement or other document from your bank – or on the back of your card, and not a number given to you by the caller or the one you were called from.

Never provide financial or personal details to a caller, but call back on a number you know to be authentic. Many scammers have the ability to spoof authentic numbers to fool you into thinking that they are genuine. 

If you have been a victim of telephone banking fraud 

Report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre by calling 0300 123 20 40 or by visiting: www.actionfraud.police.uk

Report it to your relevant bank or payment card provider immediately. You will find out how to do so by looking on their websites.