Married dad’s romance con
FRAUDSTER STOLE £47,000 IN LIFE SAVINGS
A MARRIED father tricked a woman he met on a dating site into handing over £47,000 in a romance fraud.
Qaiser Saeed, 40, of Hayes, was sentenced to three years in prison for fraud by false representation on Tuesday September 7.
During his recent trial at Barbican Nightingale Court, the jury heard how Saeed established a relationship with the victim, 39, via an online dating site.
Claiming to be single and a business owner, Saeed spent four months constructing a web of lies in order to scam the woman.
As part of the fraud, he claimed that he was a single man who owned his own company and had himself been a victim of fraud and his bank account had been frozen, leading to him to request the victim’s help to pay his fictitious workers.
Saeed deceived the victim into transferring £47,650 into her account, claiming he would pay his employees’ wages with it until his account was unfrozen.
The truth was Saeed was a security guard and a married man with children.
He was arrested in April 2014 on suspicion of fraud but was released on bail, before skipping the country and fleeing to Pakistan.
Saeed was arrested again when, five years later, he brazenly flew into Heathrow on a student visa.
He was arrested at the airport and charged with fraud by false representation.
Metropolitan Police Detective Sergeant James Harbour said: “Qaiser Saeed wilfully deceived the victim telling lie upon lie in order to deceive her into parting with her money.
“Scammers, such as Saeed, are skilled liars who weave a complex web of falsehoods in order to manipulate vulnerable or trusting people, playing on their emotions before taking their money under false pretences.
“Anyone can fall victim, regardless of age or gender. It is not unusual for victims to feel too embarrassed to tell police or a trusted person, or they may continue to believe that the suspect is telling them the truth as the reality of being scammed by someone they cared about is too difficult to contemplate.
“I urge anyone who has fallen victim to this type of fraud to get in touch with police straight away. There is nothing to be embarrassed about and you will be supported by officers who understand how this despicable crime works and will support you.”