A man who impersonated a police officer in a 'highly sophisticated' fraud to steal cash from bank customers has been jailed for eight months. Nazeeb El-Syed, 21, from London, appeared for sentencing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after earlier admitting fraud and theft charges.
The court heard that he would contact victims by phone, claiming to be a police officer, and tell them they had been victims of crime. He would then visit their homes, still posing as an officer, and collect their bank cards. One victim, Shyla Kishore, was asked to input her PIN number into her telephone keypad and later handed over her cards to a man who appeared at her door. El-Syed used her cards to withdraw £1,000 from a cash machine.
A second victim, David Johnston, was also tricked into handing over three bank cards after being told he was a victim of credit card fraud. He also lost £1,000.
Sheriff Kevin Drummond said the crimes demonstrated a 'high degree' of planning and sophistication, and imposed the maximum sentence available. Following the case, police warned the public not to give banking information over the phone. Inspector Lee Jardine said: 'It is extremely important that members of the public are on their guard from callers asking for your banking details or personal information.'
The sheriff ordered a compensation order to repay the victims, but adjourned the case to determine whether banks had already reimbursed them.
