'Wicked' conman ran £1m bank scam from his luxury Salford flat... until he made a drunken mistake

A fraudster who orchestrated a '"sophisticated" £1 million banking scam from a plush Salford flat apartment was caught out after he drunkenly gave his own name whilst posing as a suspected victim.

"Wicked" conman Azeem Mohammed, 33, played a "leading role" in the "ruthless" enterprise which targeted elderly people over the phone.

Masquerading as a fraud investigator at various high street banks, Mohammed told the often frail victims that their accounts and money were at risk and that they were trying to help them.

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"No one knows" how the scammers obtained the "initial information" including the victims' names, addresses and the amounts of money they had. However, a judge said it was a :'reasonable conclusion" that it somehow came "from inside the banks themselves."

The group used a number of elaborate rouses, including using various phone numbers manned by different members of the group - and fake bank websites - to convince them they were genuine.

When in fact they were "manipulating" and "controlling" them. The victims were called repeatedly and kept on the phone for hours to create a sense of urgency and put them under "relentless pressure."

They were tricked into handing over personal information; sending copies of ID documents; buying mobile phones; installing software on their laptops which allowed fraudsters to 'take control'; setting up new bank accounts; and transferring huge sums - often their life savings - to new accounts.

They were also urged not to contact their bank or inform their family "out of fear that it would cause them more financial difficulty."

One couple, who had lost their daughter to cancer and were saving for their grandson's education, lost more than half a million pounds alone, whilst £60,000 worth of loans was also taken out in their name afterwards.

A widower who had recently lost his wife and a former bank manager were also almost amongst the victims who the hearing was told had been left "utterly bereft."

In total, Mohammed scammed nine victims out of £958, 949 between April 2021 and April this year. Whilst Manchester Crown Court heard that the 'wider conspiracy' raked in more than £1.5m.

After arresting Mohammed, originally from Scotland, and searching his flat, in the luxury Wilburn Basin development on Ordsall Lane, close to Manchester city centre, police said it "appeared to be set up as a location purely to commit fraud on a large scale."

SIM cards with three numbers used in the scam linked Mohammed to Steven Cunningham, a fictional investigator which was repeatedly used. The prosecution said "at least" two other people must have been involved.

The judge said it was "unfortunately rare that "someone who commits these kinds of offences comes before the courts." And she commended the officer from the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) who led the painstaking inquiry.

Established in 2002, the DCPCU is a dedicated police unit, involving officers from UK Finance, the City of London Police, and the Met and sponsored by the banking industry.

They began probing him after he "made a mistake" the court heard. In April 2021, he rang HSBC with the account and sort code of a suspected victim, but gave his own name.

"During the call he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs and it may be this that caused him to make the mistake of giving his own name rather the name of the account holder," Tyrone Silcott, prosecuting, said.

Voice recognition caught him out and the access codes for the account were sent to his mobile number. "It is telling that the defendant was caught using the stolen details and is illustrative of a leading role" he said.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud. He was jailed for six years and nine months by Judge Suzanne Goddard KC.

She told him: "This is the most sophisticated and complex banking fraud against individuals I have seen in my 38 years in the criminal law. It was committed against exclusively elderly who had significant sums of money in their bank accounts.

"What you did was wicked. You mercilessly pressured and manipulated your victims with the false suggestion that their accounts were under attack from fraudsters and that they needed to follow your instructions.

"That allowed you and your conspirators to transfer significant sums of money from their bank accounts. Such was the careful planning you and your associates were able to convince them that you were genuine and that they needed to co-operate."

She said the impact on them had been 'devastating', adding: "It is telling they have found the stoicism to carry on with their lives and make the best of things, despite the enormous financial loss they have suffered. It is perhaps a testament to the stoicism of people of their generation."

Speaking after the case, Detective Sergeant Ben Hurley from the DCPCU 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."