Hundreds of renters were left homeless and financially ruined after being scammed by a fraudulent £18 million lettings empire, a London court has heard. Victims—many of them students or newcomers to the UK—were deceived into handing over deposits for fake properties, then threatened with illegal evictions.
The fraud, led by Mohammed Moynul Haque, involved multiple rogue agencies, including Citiside Properties Ltd, Flintons, and Mayfields. When complaints shut down one agency, Haque would set up a new one, continuing the cycle of deception. According to Prosecutor Richard Heller, the fraud operated between 2016 and 2021, using at least 18,000 fake property listings on SpareRoom.co.uk to lure victims.
Fake property photos were used in adverts
Victims were pressured to sign contracts and pay deposits before viewing properties
Locations of the properties were withheld or falsified
Some tenants were given illegally misleading contracts denying them tenancy rights
Unlawful evictions left many victims homeless
Victim Testimonies: Homelessness, Trauma & Lost Futures
The scam’s impact was devastating, with victims losing money, jobs, and even their education opportunities.
✔ Gibril Saine was left homeless, forced to drain his overdraft, and had to abandon his college course.
✔ Julius Agyei, a fashion worker, lost irreplaceable possessions, including a cherished photo of his late best friend.
✔ Adrian-Cristian Nicolescu, a PhD student at UCL, had to borrow money from family after losing his savings.
✔ Emma Welch lived in vermin-infested conditions, lost her job, and was driven into debt.
✔ Joseph Cutts was repeatedly harassed by Flintons staff and suffered severe mental distress, at times contemplating suicide.
One victim, Nicolae Cristinel-Stan, described returning home to find he had been evicted without warning, his belongings gone. “This was an incredibly traumatic experience,” he said.
The Criminals Behind the £18M Scam
After a six-month trial, multiple individuals were convicted:
Mohammed Moynul Haque (46) – The mastermind behind the scam, convicted of fraudulent trading
Fatima Begum – Haque’s ex-wife, director of Citiside, convicted of fraudulent trading
Gonzalo Gomez Egea (42) – General manager, guilty of two counts of fraudulent trading
Razaur Rahman Oli – Linked to Barrons London Ltd, convicted of fraudulent trading
Nozir Ahmed (55) & Roomshare Ltd (Mayfields) – Convicted of unfair trading offences
Authorities seized crucial evidence in 2019, when Tower Hamlets council raided the agencies’ offices. Although Flintons shut down in 2020, linked scams continued under other names.
Sentencing & Justice for Victims
Sentencing is expected on Tuesday, with prosecutors urging the court to base the fraud’s impact on the full £18M turnover, while the defence argues losses should be limited to £70,000 from identified victims.
SpareRoom, the platform where many fraudulent listings were posted, acknowledged the damage done to public trust. Communications Director Matt Hutchinson stated:
“Criminals like these don’t just take money—they rob people of their confidence and their chance to start a new life.”
