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Two?members?of an organised?crime group (OCG)?have?been sentenced?at?Inner London Crown Court?for their involvement in committing?£112,000 of fraud,?following a successful investigation by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), a specialist police unit sponsored by the banking and finance industry that investigates the criminals responsible for fraud.
The ringleader of the gang,?Samir Aweys,?also known as?Zeemir?Ebankz, received a total of'three years and?nine?months imprisonment for conspiracy to defraud and being in possession of criminal property. He was also ordered to pay £500 and ?500 to the bank, and received a forfeiture order where both his laptop and phone were seized by the police.
Group member Adrian?Myrie,?of Canning Town,?pleaded guilty to'the charge of?facilitating the?acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property under the Proceeds of Crime Act. On 19 March 2021, he?received a one?year and'six?month?community order, a rehabilitation activity requirement for 20 days, a £300 court cost to be paid within three months and a forfeiture order where his phone was seized by the police.
The fraud involved opening a bank account in Stanmore using stolen credentials to match that of the intended victim. Once the new account was set up, the group fraudulently moved £112,000?of the victim's funds?into the?new?account. The group'then?attended a?garage?in Hertfordshire to?buy?a BMW M5?for nearly £70,000, using the funds. The rest of the funds were?quickly'transferred to third-party bank accounts?before?being moved?into?accounts under the control of?Aweys.??
The DCPCU issued a wanted report for?Aweys,?and he was?arrested?on 18 December 2020 by British Transport Police when'trying to check in for?a Eurostar train to Paris from London St Pancras.??
The fraud,?which took place between?26 September 2019 and 4 December 2019,?was spotted by the bank and referred to the DCPCU to investigate. All victims of the fraud have been refunded,?and the vehicle and its registration number have?been recovered.?
Jeremy Boxall, Detective Constable at the DCPCU, commented:?
Aweys and Myrie?callously used an innocent victim's?funds'totalling over £110,000.? ?Fortunately?we were able to track down?both Aweys?and Myrie,?bringing'them'to justice for'their?role in this fraud.?? ?The DCPCU will continue to work closely with the banking industry to clamp down on organised crime?groups involved in fraud.
Aweys and Myrie?callously used an innocent victim's?funds'totalling over £110,000.?
?Fortunately?we were able to track down?both Aweys?and Myrie,?bringing'them'to justice for'their?role in this fraud.??
?The DCPCU will continue to work closely with the banking industry to clamp down on organised crime?groups involved in fraud.
Contact Information
UK Finance Press Office
020 7416 6750 - press@ukfinance.org.uk
<ol><li>For more information, please contact the UK Finance press office on 0207 416 6750 or <a href="mailto:press@ukfinance.org.uk">press@ukfinance.org.uk</a></li> <li>Images of Samir Aweys and Adrian Myrie are available on request.</li> <li>The Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) is a unique pro-active police unit, with a national remit, formed as a partnership between UK Finance, the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police together with the Home Office. It is fully sponsored by the cards and banking industries, with an on-going brief to investigate, target and, where appropriate, arrest and seek successful prosecution of offenders responsible for card, cheque and payment fraud crimes. It is headed up by a Detective Chief Inspector and comprises officers from the Metropolitan and City of London police forces who work alongside banking industry fraud investigators and support staff. In 2020, the unit prevented almost £20 million of fraud, disrupted 26 organised crime groups (OCGs), arrested 122 suspected criminals, and secured 54 convictions.</li> </ol>
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