Musthafa Ali (l) and Mizan Ali (r)]

Two men have been jailed after posing as police officers in order to defraud elderly victims.

The pair were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, 7 June.

Mizan Muhammed Ali, 23 (03.11.95) of Waldeck Road, N15 was charged with five counts of fraud by false representation. He admitted the offences and was jailed for three years and four months.

Musthafa Ali, 21 (06.01.98) of Banner Street, EC1 was charged with two counts of fraud by false representation. He admitted the offences and was jailed for two years and six months.

Officers from the Met’s Fraud and Linked Crime Online Unit (FALCON) launched an investigation after a 71-year-old woman in Fulham was defrauded in November 2018.

On 20 November 2018 the victim received a phone call from a man purporting to be a police officer based in Hammersmith.

She was told her bank account and card had been compromised and used to fraudulently purchase expensive jewellery.

The caller told the victim to go to the bank and withdraw money, return home and wait for an officer to attend and collect the notes for inspection. 

Later that day a car driven by Mizan Ali arrived at the victim’s house and the funds were collected.

The victim received a second phone call from the fake officer and was asked to make a further withdrawal, to which she agreed and a second collection was made.

After speaking with family members the victim realised she had been scammed and reported the matter to police.

The following day she received a third call, requesting a third withdrawal. She immediately contacted police and an officer attended and waited for the collection to be made.

On this occasion Musthafa Ali arrived at the address, and attempted to collect the money. He was duly arrested. Again a vehicle driven by Mizan Ali was present and made off from the officers on scene.

Whilst examining Musthafa Ali’s phone, detectives discovered the address of the 71-year-old victim, and four other victims, in his navigation history.

Musthafa Ali was charged in relation to this case, and a separate offence of the same nature in Didcot, Oxfordshire in January 2019 committed while he was on bail for this investigation.

Mizan Ali was later arrested following the execution of a warrant – his mobile phones were seized and found to contain the Satnav addresses of a number of the victims. He was later charged in relation to all five cases which involved victims aged between 71 and 100 in and around the Kensington and Chelsea areas.

The scam resulted in the loss of more than £60,000.

The court heard Mizan Ali was on licence at the time of the offences. He was released from prison in September 2018 after being convicted of fraud using an almost identical method in the Humberside police area.

Detective Constable Ant King from FALCON said: “These men targeted vulnerable and elderly victims and defrauded them out of thousands of pounds. They masqueraded as police officers and couriers, and brazenly attended the home addresses of their victims to collect their criminal gains.

“The audacity demonstrated in these offences reflects the character of both defendants. Whilst being investigated for the initial offences in Kensington and Chelsea, Musthafa Ali went on to commit an almost identical offence in Thames Valley.

“Mizan Ali was also on licence for his part in previous, similar offences. For exactly these reasons, I am pleased with the sentences handed to these two defendants. It means they are no longer on the streets and able to carry out further offences.

“I hope this investigation and court case act as a deterrent to anyone else considering targeting vulnerable individuals for their own financial gain.”