Hull: Nine men sentenced following lengthy investigation

Abu Kaher (26) from London was found guilty and sentenced to 5 years (60 months)
Mohammed Jakir Miah (25) from London pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 4 years (48months)
Junaid Patwary (25) from London pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 4 years (48months)
Tanveer Ahmed (26) from London pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 4 years (48months)
Mizan Ali (22) from London pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 8 Months
Ali Nuruddin (25) from London pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 5 years 3 months (48 months for Hull and 15 months for an offence in Hertfordshire (consecutive))
Ruhin Khan (25) from London pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 Years (36 Months)
Amanul Islam (26) from Birmingham pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 Years (36 Months)
Abdul Ali (26) from Birmingham pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 yrs 8 months (43 months)

The men were charged and brought before the courts follow Operation Rumble – a joint initiative by Humberside Police and the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Crime Unit – working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service.

Detective Inspector Rich Osgerby said, “We launched our investigation after 16 victims were called by men claiming to be police officers investigating irregular banking activity.  The fraudsters claimed they had seen suspicious activity on their accounts and encouraged the victims to go to their bank and withdraw significant amounts of money.  The money was then handed to couriers, who claimed they were taking it for ‘forensic examination’.

“These significant sentences serve as a strong message to anyone committing fraud in our area that no matter where they are we will find them and bring them before the courts.

“These men prayed on vulnerable elderly people to steal thousands of pounds of their hard-earned savings, the men never considered the affect their actions on the lives of the people they stole from.

“Now they have been sentenced I hope those victims and their families will feel that justice has been done and that they will now face the consequences of their actions.

“We will now begin the process of taking back the money stolen using the Proceeds of Crime Act.”

The scam: More than 300 incidents were reported in the Humberside force area alone – with more victims targeted nationally.

The conmen claimed they were police officers, bank officials or HM Revenue and Customs officers and told their victims they were the victims of fraud.

They asked the victim to hang up and call their bank to confirm their story and to transfer funds to a safe account.  However, the call with the fraudster remained connected and when victims believed they were speaking to their bank, they were in fact speaking to the original caller, handing over personal details.

In some cases, the victim was persuaded to transfer cash to a ‘safe’ account or to hand over money to a courier, who was sent to collect the funds.

In total, 49 people had money stolen, with a combined total of more than £200,000 taken.

Advice on how to avoid falling foul of similar conmen.

• Never give out bank or personal details to strangers
• Don’t had over money or transfer funds to unknown accounts
• If you believe you have been called, hang up and use another phone to call