Pretend police detective duped Leeds pensioners out of tens of thousands
A grifter helped to steal tens of thousands of pounds from pensioners using an elaborate scheme in which he convinced victims he was a detective and needed the victims to help bring down fraudsters.
Mohammed Shahid worked as part of a team of con artists targeting the elderly mainly in Leeds, but also in Warwick and other parts of the country.
One elderly doctor from Leeds was persuaded to hand over more than £67,000 after being called almost 400 times by Shahid, who had even bought a voice-changing device for his phone.
The court heard how the victims were left feeling “foolish, stupid and ashamed”.
Shahid, 37, was jailed for almost four years at Leeds Crown Court this week with the judge calling them the “most appalling offences” against the “most vulnerable people in society”.
Prosecutor Katherine Robinson said Shahid was part of a team of swindlers operating between April and September 2023, using a similar method with each victim.
Shahid would phone the targets claiming to be a detective, and warn them there was fraudulent activity with their account, requiring them to transfer money.
Gaining their trust, he would encourage them to withdraw large amounts of cash. However, the first two elderly women in Leeds were unable to get hold of the cash after their banks became suspicious and implemented safeguarding measures.
A third was not so lucky, who was able to withdraw £2,500. She was asked to place it in a bag and leave it on her doorstep, where it was collected by another “undercover officer”.
But the fourth victim, the elderly male doctor, suffered the most. He has since sadly died. He was twice persuaded to withdraw £8,500 and hand it over in a car park.
Such was their psychological grip over him, they called him a staggering 395 times in a matter of weeks and convinced him to transfer another £50,000.
At one point they spun a story to convince him to buy a Rolex watch for £12,500, but the suspicious London jewellers blocked the transaction.
Shahid, formerly of Holsworthy Square, Holborn, London, was arrested in September 2023, but gave a no-comment interview.
Bailed, he then went on to dupe two more pensioners in the Warwick area in the Midlands.
The first victim handed over nearly £4,000, the second parting with more than £3,000.
Shahid was arrested again in September last year. The mobile phone used to make the majority of calls was found in his car.
The court heard that the gang had tried to con £135,000 in total. A large chunk was not successfully withdrawn. Much of the money they did pilfer is yet to be paid back, including the doctor’s.
Appearing in court this week via video link from HMP Howell in Worcestershire, where he was being held on remand, he admitted conspiracy to commit fraud.
He also asked for four other incidents to be taken into consideration. Details were not disclosed but they involved victims in Nottingham, York, Pembrokeshire and St Neots in Cambridgeshire.
Mitigating, Sophie Johnstone said Shahid had run up a drugs debt and was in a desperate situation, but this was questioned by Judge Ray Singh who claimed there was little evidence.
He also remained skeptical about supposed gambling debts, but Ms Johnstone said Shahid was “not living a life luxury off the back of his fraudulent activity”.
She said he was “appalled at himself”, but Judge Singh remained unconvinced.
He told him: “These individuals [you targeted] were brought up to respect the police and be trusting of other individuals and try to help.
“As a result of being duped, they feel ashamed and now have a lack of trust.”
He said that Shahid had tried to “downplay” his involvement and was ”further up the chain” than he was prepared to admit.
He added: “This was a well-run organisation capable of duping individuals.”
He jailed Shahid for 45 months in total.