Two Jailed After Identity Theft

Two men have been jailed for a series of frauds committed by stealing identities from the public.

The crime group, which consisted of two men and a woman, successfully stole a couple’s pension worth almost 90K and also attempted to steal two homes with a combined value in excess of £800,000.

Saeed Ghani (pictured right) of Polefield Circle, Prestwich, was jailed for seven and a half years at Preston Crown Court after pleading guilty to three counts of conspiracy to defraud at an earlier hearing.

Atif Mahmood (pictured below) of Sarnsfield Close, Gorton, was jailed for two years and two months at Preston Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud at an earlier hearing.

Toma Ramanauskaiteof Spring Street, Bury, will be sentenced on 16 November 2016 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud at an earlier hearing.

In June 2012, Ghani and Mahmood conspired to steal identity documents from an insecure post box in the Stockport area. They used the stolen mail to hijack the identity of the homeowner and fraudulently transferred the land registry deeds of the property into Ghani’s name.

The fraudsters then made attempts to sell the house, worth over £500,000, at auction however the plot was foiled when the daughter of the victim noticed her father’s house was listed on a property website and alerted police.

In the second incident, Ghani again managed to steal the identity of the two homeowners in Bolton, this time using fraudulent passports in an attempt to transfer the land registry deeds of their property that was worth over £300,000.

In August 2014, Ghani and Ramanauskaite intercepted a husband and wife’s post in Boothstown, again hijacking their identities. They took out driving licences in their names which were then used as identification to open new bank accounts. They then approached the pension company to transfer almost £90,000 into the fraudulently opened bank accounts before dissipating the funds without the victims’ knowledge.

Detective Sergeant Phil Larratt from GMP’s Fraud Team said: “In all three cases Ghani worked with an associate to hijack people’s identities by stealing their mail. In the first crime he worked with Atif Mahmood to fraudulently transfer the land registry deeds of the victim’s house. It wasn’t until the homeowner’s daughter noticed his house for sale on a website that they realised something was wrong and notified the police."

“Unfortunately in the final case, Ghani along with Ramanauskaite were again able to successfully hijack further identities to steal a couple’s pension."

“Today’s verdict will hopefully send out a message to fraudsters in Greater Manchester that people will receive significant sentences for these types of crimes."

“As this case demonstrates, fraudsters can use your identity details to open new bank accounts, request new driving licences and even try and steal your own home. We urge the public to secure their mail boxes and employ measures to protect their identities. “

The Action Fraud Website details the following advice regarding identity theft:

· Don’t throw out anything with your name, address or financial details without shredding it first.
· Check your statements carefully and report anything suspicious to the bank or financial service provider concerned.
· Don’t leave things like bills lying around for others to look at.
· If you’re expecting a bank or credit card statement and it doesn’t arrive, tell your bank or credit card company.
· If you move house, ask Royal Mail to redirect your post for at least a year.
· These credit reference agencies offer a credit report checking service to alert you to any key changes on your credit file that could indicate potential fraudulent activity: Callcredit Equifax Experian ClearScore Noddle
· It is particularly helpful to check your personal credit file 2-3 months after you have moved house.
· We would always urge the public to alert their bank and the police

Cases of fraud should be reported to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or alternatively online at www.actionfraud.police.uk
Any intelligence that you may have about fraudsters can be disclosed anonymously to Crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.