Fake police fraudsters jailed for courier scam
Cumbria ConstabularyThree fraudsters who posed as police officers to con vulnerable people out of thousands of pounds have been jailed.
The group were part of a "sophisticated" courier fraud scam, which saw multiple cold calls placed to the landlines of addresses in Cumbria in September.
Four victims were duped into withdrawing more than £46,000, over half of which was handed over to the trio.
Bilal Akhther, 40, Luliana Nicolae, 24, and Muhammed Shahzeb, 20, who were convicted of conspiracy to steal, were sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court on Tuesday.
Akhther and Nicolae - both of no fixed abode - were sentenced to three years and one month, and seven months, respectively.
Shahzeb, of Stenson Road, Derby, was also convicted of possessing a shotgun without a certificate. He was sentenced to two years.
The scam, which began in London, saw the fraudsters call their targets and identify themselves as officers investigating suspicious activity on bank cards.
The victims were encouraged to call 999 to verify the caller's identity, unaware the line had been kept open to allow one of the fraudsters' accomplices to keep up the pretence.
Akhther, Nicolae and Shahzeb then isolated the victims from their families and friends before persuading them to withdraw large amounts of cash.
The threesome, who belonged to an organised crime group, also coerced one person to handover his firearms and license.
'Convincing nature'
Another four people were also identified by Cumbria Police as having fallen foul of the scam, but none of those had handed over any money - one being intercepted by officers before having the chance to do so.
On 25 September, Akhter and Nicolae were arrested when their vehicle was stopped driving from one victim's address, while Shahzeb was picked up in Derbyshire the following day.
Det Insp Jamie Eaton, from Cumbria Police's economic crime unit, said the criminals' "convincing nature" contributed to the scam's success.
He urged the public to remember that "police officers will never call you out of the blue requesting to meet to collect cash or ask you to transfer money to an account.
"Anyone unsure about receiving a call from someone claiming to be an officer should to hang up before contacting us on another phone for verification."