PIN number con-artists jailed (From Sutton Guardian)

PIN number con-artists jailed after Sutton pensioner tricked

12:20pm Monday 4th February 2013 in News By Mike Pyle

Two unemployed brothers who funded a lavish lifestyle of holidays, Champagne and fast cars by conning pensioners have been jailed.

Mohammed Dulu Miah, 26, and Shilu Miah, 31, ran a scam targeting pensioners in their 80s and 90s around London including one 84-year-old from Sutton.

The duo, from Sidmouth Street, Camden, netted around £250,000 by calling people pretending to be from their bank and tricking them into giving up their details by saying their cards had been used fraudulently.

They would then send an unwitting taxi driver to the address to pick up the cards before using them and emptying the victims' accounts.

One of the pair's victims was an 84-year-old woman from Cavendish Road, Sutton. The brothers tricked her out of £1,971.98. The incident was reported to Sutton police and later refunded by the bank.

The incident sparked an investigation after the details were passed by Sutton police to Camden police. More than 200 similar incidents were looked at and the Miah brothers were arrested at their home in July last year.

Mohammed Dulu Miah pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud in November and was jailed for four years and three months at Blackfriars Crown Court on Thursday, January 24.

Shilu Miah denied the same charge and blamed the crimes on his brother. But a jury found him guilty after a seven day trial at the same court and he was jailed for six years on Thursday, January 24.

Sutton Detective Constable Aaron Moon said: "I urge the public to remember this simple rule: banks and the police will never ask for your PIN or bank card because they will already have these details. So do not reveal them."

If you have been a victim of fraud, you can call police on 101 or report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or online at www.actionfraud.police.uk.

If you are called by someone who claims to be from a bank or the police and asks for your PIN and bank card, hang up and use someone else’s phone to call 999, as fraudsters can keep the phone line open so you can’t contact police.