Courier fraudsters gang scammed £200,000 out of North East pensioners

The callous fraudsters conned two vulnerable Darlington pensioners out of their life savings with one losing £120,000 to the gang.

Arris Qumar, Awais Zaman and Mya Haskins were found guilty of posing as Scotland Yard detectives to persuade their victims to hand over large sums of cash and buy designer watches.

While Adriana Andrade pleaded guilty to her role in the scam which saw gang members travel from the Midlands and London to pick up bundles of cash after convincing their victims that their bank accounts had been compromised.

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Teesside Crown Court heard how six pensioners, aged between 68 and 89 at the time of the offences, handed over almost £200,000 to the well-organised gang who travelled to Darlington, Durham, Newcastle, Hebburn and Otley to pick up the cash and watches.

All the victims were telephoned over a number of days by men claiming to be Fraud Squad officers from the Yard who told them that their bank accounts had been compromised, and to replace the receiver and to call 999.

The scammers had kept the line open, and the victims were then in the hands of fake officers who told them to empty their bank accounts and hand the money over to police couriers for it to be deposited in new safe bank accounts.

Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said the fraud only came to an end when a building society manager became suspicious and police were able to arrest one of the couriers at the home of one of the Darlington victims.

Awais Zaman (Image: Durham Constabulary)

Over the next few days in September 2020, more people were arrested in Coventry and London as officers gathered evidence of the location of mobile phones and vehicles connected to the suspects.

All four defendants had been charged with fraud by false representation in September 2020.

Anthony Barraclough, representing Qumar, said his client was a peripheral member of the gang and may not have been aware of the full extent of the conspiracy but accepted it was a ‘terrible offence’.

George Hazel-Owram, representing Zaman, said his client had no contact with any of the victims who worked as a driver on the periphery of the scam for the organised criminal network.

Colin Charvill, representing mother-of-one Haskins, said his client was an immature 17-year-old when she became involved in the scam and described the offences as ‘heartless and disgusting’ after her arrest, maintaining that she was exploited.

Adriana Andrade (Image: Durham Constabulary)

And Nicholas Askins, representing Andrade, said his client had only taken part in two trips to the region to pick up money and had never laid eyes on any of the victims.

Judge Chris Smith branded their offending as a ‘wicked fraud’ which stripped the elderly and vulnerable victims of large sums of money and buy designer watches.

“There were six victims, each of them elderly. It’s a mark of the sophistication of the conspiracy that all of you involved in were able to dupe intelligent and trusting victims and conned them into parting with thousands of pounds.

“This fraud has had a profound impact upon each of them in the later years of their lives. Each of you played important roles in this conspiracy,” he said.

“The conspiracy has led to significant financial loss, just short of £200,000. One of your victims, repeatedly visited, had £120,000 taken from him– not one penny has been recovered.”

Zaman, of Brooklyn Road, Coventry, was sentenced to two years and ten months in custody; Qumar, of York Close, Coventry, was sentenced to three years and eight months; Haskins, of Izod Road, Rugby, was sentenced to one year and ten months in custody; and Andrade, of Norman Road, Rugby, was sentenced to 16 months in custody.

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