Two men have been jailed for a cruel £87,000 phone scam that targeted elderly and vulnerable people across several counties in England.
Mohammed Islam, 25, of Dagenham, was sentenced to three years in prison after admitting to conspiracy to commit fraud. He was also found to have breached two prior suspended sentences for attempted theft and dangerous driving. In addition to jail time, he was handed a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order, limiting his use of mobile phones and vehicle rentals upon release.
Mahbub Hussain, 25, of London, received a two-year sentence after being convicted by a jury of the same conspiracy.
The pair pretended to be police officers—Sergeant Anthony Matthews and PC Gary Lambert—and used landline calls to deceive victims into believing they were assisting real investigations. They asked victims to hang up and dial 999, but kept the line open so the call never disconnected, tricking them into thinking they were speaking to actual officers.
Operating between May 9 and May 21, 2024, the scammers targeted 17 people aged between 69 and 87 in areas including Reading, Oxford, Wokingham, Hereford, Leicestershire, and West Sussex. They requested £87,000 in total, but thanks to swift police action, only £9,000 was ultimately lost.
Thames Valley Police described the scheme as “calculated and cruel.” Detective Constable Patrycja Lesiakowska condemned the exploitation of trust, calling it a serious threat to vulnerable communities. Lead investigator Detective Inspector Duncan Wynn highlighted that courier fraud uses fear and authority to manipulate victims.
The scammers used rented vehicles to conduct their operation, equipping them with multiple phones and chargers to call as many victims as possible. One victim was kept on the phone for eight hours.
The men were also ordered to pay victim surcharges within six months.
