he would take the money, flee the scene
Iftikar Ahmed, aged 45, of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, was jailed for committing eight fraud offences in Suffolk.
He was sentenced to 27 months for the fraud offences. He also received a further 12-week sentence for handling stolen goods.
St Albans Crown Court heard that he targeted the elderly and vulnerable.
Between June 11 and August 21, 2019, Ahmed committed frauds against victims in the Ipswich area.
In all of the cases, Ahmed fraudulently claimed that he required cash to repair vehicle or house key fobs at local garages.
He would usually target a lone elderly person. Ahmed either knocked on their door or approached them in the street and ask them to lend him some money to fix the fobs.
Ahmed would then claim to the victim that he would repay them if they took him to a nearby ATM to get the cash.
In all cases, he would take the money, flee the scene and never be seen again. The figures of money he took ranged from £45 to £300.
In October 2019, Ahmed was interviewed by the Operation Converter team regarding the eight fraud offences after he was arrested in Peterborough.
These were investigated thoroughly by the Converter officers and the link to Ahmed was made.
It was revealed that he had been sofa surfing with local drug users in Ipswich at the time of the Suffolk offences.
Ahmed was also charged with seven similar frauds that had taken place across Hertfordshire, while a further 22 other offences of a similar nature in Cambridgeshire were taken into consideration (TIC).
At an earlier hearing, Ahmed pleaded guilty and accepted the TIC offences.
DC Duncan Etchells of the Op Converter team said:
“He is a serial fraudster who has operated over at least three counties and actively targets elderly, vulnerable victims.”
“He is a real parasite on society and is a despicable individual.
“To see him behind bars will, at least, give some satisfaction to the victims and their families that he ruthlessly preyed on and exploited.”
On July 3, 2020, Ahmed was jailed for 27 months for the fraud offences. He also received a further 12-week sentence for handling stolen goods. The sentences will run concurrently.
Operation Converter is an initiative aimed at encouraging offenders to admit their crimes.
This has benefits for all – police are able to give victims some peace of mind that an offender has been caught for the burglary of their home or the theft of their property and the individual has the opportunity to clear their slate so they can have a fresh start when they are released from prison, without the possibility they will later be traced for a further offence.
Offenders have to give sufficient detail for officers to be sure they have committed the crime and these offences are then ‘taken into consideration’ at sentencing.
The judge will look at all the offences before determining the sentence.
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