Fraudster sentenced to over six years after stealing over £950,000

A man has been sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to 6 years and 9 months in custody for defrauding elderly customers out of an estimated £958,949. He posed as a bank employee working to investigate fraud, tricking customers into handing over control of their bank.

The sentencing follows an investigation and arrest by specialist banking industry sponsored police unit, the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU). 

Azeem Mohammed, would contact victims using fake names, pretending to be part of the fraud team from their bank. He would trick them into handing over their account details, which he used to take control of their bank accounts and steal money. 

Often, Mohammed would use remote access tools to take control of the victim’s computer and change their details. He would also convince them to send him photos of themselves with their ID and share one-time passwords sent from their real bank, so he could use these to bypass security checks and fraudulently access their account. 

In one instance, Mohammed opened other accounts in the victim’s name to assist with laundering the money. He emptied their savings account and took out over £60,000 worth of loans in their name. 

Through the investigative efforts of the police, they were able to obtain several phones that Mohammed used to contact his victims and commit fraud. Following his arrest, police identified that his flat had appeared to be set up as a location purely to commit fraud on a large scale. 

UK Finance data shows that in the first half of 2024 £32.3 million was lost to authorised push payment fraud involving the impersonation of police and banks, with over 4,000 cases reported.  

Detective Sergeant Ben Hurley said “By exploiting their trust and through sheer manipulation and deceit, Azeem Mohammed was able to trick elderly customers into passing over their financial information and stealing nearly £960,000 from them. 

“Through the collaboration of law enforcement and the banking industry, we were able to put a stop to Azeem Mohammed’s horrific crimes. We will continue our efforts to protect both industry and individuals from becoming victims of crime and bring criminals to justice.”