Fife man behind bars after stolen bank card ‘Supermarket Sweep’

Man spent thousands of pounds in several central belt stores

A Fife man, who went on a £25,000 spending spree over just a few hours with reset bank cards, has been jailed.

Faisal Raza, 21, from Kirkcaldy, rushed between cash and carry stores in Glasgow and Edinburgh in the early hours, spending thousands of pounds on cigarettes.

In scenes reminiscent of Supermarket Sweep, he and another man were captured on CCTV clearing shelves as they tried to spend us much as possible before the cards were closed down. They also went to a casino and a Sainsbury’s store to take money from ATMs.

Raza later stopped off at the Livingston shopping centre, running up another big bill on perfume and fashion goods. The cards had been in a wallet lost by their owner in a Kirkcaldy street just hours before.

Raza was found guilty of stealing money from bank cash machines and obtaining goods by fraud after a four-day trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court last month.

Raza was identified on CCTV taking money from an ATM at an Edinburgh casino where he was a member.

He had admitted being at the various locations but denied any wrong-doing, blaming another man whose whereabouts are unknown.

However, a jury found that on various occasions between December 30 and 31 at the Maybury Casino, Edinburgh, and Sainsbury’s, Pollokshields, Glasgow, he stole £1,200 from ATMs by using a bank card.

He was found guilty of a charge that, on various occasions on December 31, at the premises of Bestway Batleys Cash and Carry, Glasgow; Bestway Batleys cash and carry, Edinburgh; The Perfume Shop, USC and Schuh, all Livingston, while acting with another person, he pretended to employees that he was the true owner of bank cards for payment of goods to the value of £24,526.17 and obtained these goods by fraud.

Raza, who appeared from custody, committed the offences while on bail orders from courts across Scotland – Glasgow, Edinburgh, Airdrie and Kirkcaldy.

When Raza returned to court for sentencing, his solicitor David Bell said the circumstances of the incident were that when the wallet was lost the Pin details were probably within it along with the cards.

Sheriff Craig McSherry jailed Raza for 27 months. He has been held in custody since January 20 and the sentence was backdated to then.