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Gang jailed over pensioner phone scam | Gang jailed over pensioner phone scam |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Eight men from London have been jailed for a phone scam that defrauded UK pensioners out of more than £1m. | Eight men from London have been jailed for a phone scam that defrauded UK pensioners out of more than £1m. |
Police say some of the money funded travel from the UK to Syria. There are fears some of those who travelled had links to so-called Islamic State. | Police say some of the money funded travel from the UK to Syria. There are fears some of those who travelled had links to so-called Islamic State. |
Gang leader Makzhumi Abukar was jailed for seven years and four months, alongside accomplices including former X Factor contestant Nathan Fagan-Gayle. | Gang leader Makzhumi Abukar was jailed for seven years and four months, alongside accomplices including former X Factor contestant Nathan Fagan-Gayle. |
Some of the victims - the oldest of whom was 94 - lost as much as £130,000. | |
Passing sentence at the Old Bailey, Judge Anuja Dhir said that none of the convicted men had shown any genuine remorse. | Passing sentence at the Old Bailey, Judge Anuja Dhir said that none of the convicted men had shown any genuine remorse. |
She told the men their crimes would have a "devastating and lasting impact" on the victims, whose average age was 83. | She told the men their crimes would have a "devastating and lasting impact" on the victims, whose average age was 83. |
Phone scam victim: 'My fears my savings went to Syria' | Phone scam victim: 'My fears my savings went to Syria' |
She praised detectives from Scotland Yard's counter terrorism command who brought the men to justice. | She praised detectives from Scotland Yard's counter terrorism command who brought the men to justice. |
Speaking about the victims, the judge added: "I was struck by their dignity and their courage when giving evidence about a matter that was so obviously painful for them to relive." | Speaking about the victims, the judge added: "I was struck by their dignity and their courage when giving evidence about a matter that was so obviously painful for them to relive." |
The sentences were: | The sentences were: |
They will all serve half their sentences before being eligible for release on licence. | They will all serve half their sentences before being eligible for release on licence. |
Fagan-Gayle received £20,000 from the scam and went on a spending spree. | Fagan-Gayle received £20,000 from the scam and went on a spending spree. |
'Dumb and stupid' | |
During the scam, carried out across southern England, gang members phoned elderly victims and pretended to be police officers. | |
They told victims about suspected fraud at their banks and instructed them to withdraw money or transfer it to different accounts for "safe keeping". | |
In some cases this involved handing over cash to "couriers" - gang members who arrived at victims' houses on the pretence they were working for the police. | |
Many victims were deceived into lying to their family, friends and banks about what they were doing. | |
World War Two veteran Kenneth Whitaker, who fought at the Battle of Arnhem, was 93 at the time of the fraud. | |
He said he felt "dumb and stupid" after losing £113,000 to the fraudsters. | |
Barbara Davidson, 86, lost £14,000 which she had been planning to use to visit relatives in South Africa. | |
She now fears she will never see those family members again. | |
'Life savings' | |
The Metropolitan Police said about 140 frauds and attempted frauds were identified as part of the investigation - and more may have gone unreported by victims who were embarrassed by what had happened. | |
The force said officers found 16 telephone lines the group used to make 5,695 calls to 3,774 different numbers. | |
Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met's counter-terrorism command, said he was pleased with the sentences given to the gang members. | |
He added: "They callously and systematically defrauded elderly people of their life savings. | |
"Had we not arrested them and put them before the courts, the group may have gone on to defraud many more victims across the UK." |