Beckton men jailed for defrauding 97 elderly and vulnerable people
Juber Alom and Kevin Bokanga - Credit: West Yorkshire Police
Two Beckton men were among six jailed for a scam that saw elderly people swindled out of thousands of pounds.
Joynal Miah and Mahbub Fahim Aziz - Credit: West Yorkshire Police
Juber Alom, 31, of Canterbury Close and Kevin Bokanga, 22, of Horse Leaze, had both been found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
During the trial, Leeds Crown Court heard how the pair were part of a gang who cold called their elderly and vulnerable victims posing as police officers.
They claimed they were investigating suspects who had accessed the victims’ bank accounts and had withdrawn large amounts of money.
Utilising mobile phone technology, victims were then convinced their calls had been transferred to their own banks or the police and the deception continued.
Sabir Uddin and Milad Ahmed - Credit: West Yorkshire Police
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Ultimately the victims were manipulated to visit their bank and withdraw significant quantities of cash which was then handed over to a courier who attended the victims home address.
Detectives were able to identify 97 victims, 33 of whom lost more than £220,000.
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On Friday last week, Alom was jailed for six and a half years while Bokanga was sentenced to five years.
Joynal Miah, 29, of Eric Street, Mile End, was also found guilty of conspiracy to defraud and was jailed for 10 and a half years.
Three other men had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud at an earlier hearing and were also sentenced on Friday.
Milad Ahmed, 22, of Poplar High Street, was jailed for 11 years.
Sabir Uddin, 23 , of Kingswood Road, Ilford, was jailed for five and a half years.
Mahbub Fahim Aziz, 21, of Walden Street, Whitechapel, was jailed for two and a half years.
Det Insp Jack Walker said: “These fraudsters preyed on some of the most vulnerable people in our communities targeting them in a sophisticated criminal network.
“The victims were often isolated and frail but still targeted and if they realised it was a scam some were subject to threats and horrific verbal abuse. The offending covered almost every policing region within the country.”
He advised people to be vigilant and that banks and the police will never ask you to give your account details, pin and security code over the phone or ask for cash.
