Zakariya Horvath has been jailed for 27 months for his role in a cold-calling fraud that targeted elderly people in the North East. The 25-year-old, from London, posed as a police officer to trick at least 28 victims into handing over their savings.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that the gang masqueraded as detectives, telling victims their bank cards were compromised and their accounts at risk of fraudulent activity. One retired woman from North Tyneside withdrew £7,500 of her £19,000 life savings and handed it to a courier after the fraudsters even asked her to bring it to London.
Sophisticated fraud targeting the elderly
Christopher Rose, prosecuting, said: "The fraud conspiracy involved targeted elderly and vulnerable victims, so they were persuaded that their bank accounts were at risk of fraudulent activity, to the extent they needed to withdraw the contents of their accounts in cash and hand them over to the conspirators." He added that the method of masquerading as police officers is now well-known.
A retired man was left under "a great deal of stress and anxiety" after being pressed to withdraw more than £8,500, but he did not do so. He was too terrified to provide a statement to police, fearing repercussions at his home.
Darlington victims targeted
Among those targeted were 26 elderly people in Darlington, whose landline numbers and names were somehow obtained by the conspirators. Two retired women in Darlington realised the scam when called by "Sergeant Wiggins," and another elderly lady recognised the con when called by someone posing as a police officer from Scotland Yard.
The court heard that police later found a cold-calling list of 26 elderly victims and their landline numbers, all from the Darlington area. How the list was obtained remains unknown.
Horvath's arrest and sentence
Horvath was stopped by police wearing a Canada Goose jacket with a stab vest underneath, and found with a burner phone used to make some of the calls. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between December 29, 2020, and January 17, 2021. He failed to attend his sentencing hearing in May 2023 and remained at large until May this year, when a warrant for his arrest was executed.
Judge Penny Moreland jailed him for 27 months, saying: "Elderly people were targeted by fraudsters, by people pretending to be police officers, frightening them by saying their money is at risk and badgering them into withdrawing that money and handing it over to criminals involved in that conspiracy." She added that the offending had a serious detrimental impact on victims' emotional wellbeing and sense of security, describing the fraud as sophisticated and requiring significant planning.
Rachel Pain, defending, said Horvath was immature at the time and is now remorseful and regretful. People who know him speak well of him, she added.
