Scammers jailed for courier con after elderly targeted in Shropshire
Eight men have been sentenced to more than 21 years in prison for their part in a telephone and courier scam which targeted the elderly in south Shropshire.
In June 2016 two couriers were arrested Ludlow after police were led to believe offences were occurring that day.
Police warned householders to be on their guard after somebody attempted to pass themselves off as a DC Morgan.
Following the arrests, a complex investigation began, which led to further arrests.
Gallery of sentenced conmen:
The fraud offences took place across Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Cumbria, West Midlands, Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire and Thames Valley, when 50 victims, ranging from 49 to 96 years old, were called on their landline telephone numbers and asked to hand over money.
It was a scam that saw offenders purporting to be police officers investigating a fraud at a local banking branch.
Of the 50 victims targeted, 15 were persuaded to hand over money, with a total of over £200,000 being stolen.
The eight men sentenced were:
Mohammed Hadi, 34, of London, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Rejwanul Islam, 26, of Wroxhall Road, Dagenham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Mohammed Abdul Kashem, 28, of Guilfoot, Camden, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Mohammed Nawaz Miah, 22, of Parkers Circus, Chipping Norton, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, possession of a false identity document and conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Mohammed Nazeem Miah, 20, of Parkers Circus, Chipping Norton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Idris Ali, 24, of Belmont Street, Oldham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was sentenced to 16 months in prison, with his sentence suspended for two years. He must also complete 300 hours of unpaid work.
Yarsir Afzal, 22, of Abingdon Road, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was sentenced to 12 months in prison, with his sentence suspended for two years. He must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Mohammed Nasir Miah, 24, of Parkers Circus, Chipping Norton, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with his sentence suspended for two years. He must also complete 20 days of rehabilitative activity and will be subject to a home detention curfew for six months.
Detective Inspector Emma Wright from the Economic Crime Unit at West Mercia Police said: "This investigation was incredibly complex and involved an organised crime group from London, Manchester, Oxfordshire and Cardiff.
"These offences fall under the West Mercia Police initiative Project Prospero, aimed at tackling telephone and courier fraud.
"All of the victims involved were called by people pretending to be officials such as the police, and were persuaded into handing over (or transferring) large sums of money.
"These defendants targeted people who were elderly or vulnerable; they were persistent and ruthless, sometimes keeping the victims on the phone for hours or subjecting them to many calls.
"Hundreds of calls were made, with only a handful of people needing to be convinced for the criminals to profit."
