Medical student part of trio jailed for cash machine scam that filmed users’ pin numbers

AN “INTELLIGENT and forthcoming” medical student is one of three men jailed for rigging cashpoints with devices to seize bank cards.

Attaul Qayyum, 22, meddled with ATMS in Ramsgate and Broadstairs in Kent to capture pin numbers of users on cameras. A timer and miniature ipod Nano – designed to store the elicit footage – were also connected to the improvised recording device, Canterbury Crown Court was told.

The camera system was fastened to a narrow, 15cm piece of metal, designed to look like part of the cashpoint.

The three fraudsters were unmasked when Daniel Edwards attempted to withdraw money from the Co-op in Broadstairs High Street on Aug 21, 2020.

Samantha Wright, prosecuting, said: “He pressed the button to withdraw £20, the card didn’t come out and money didn’t come out.” As the machine displayed an “Out of Order” sign Mr Edwards immediately cancelled the card and did not lose any money. An hour later, the same happened to a 15-year-old girl when she tried to withdraw money at a Co-op in Ramsgate.

A witness intervened because the machine was saying it was out of order. Harriet Dobson discovered an iphone camera attached to a strip pointing at the pin-entry pad and alerted the police.

Qayyum, from Morden in south London, denied possession of articles for use in fraud but jurors found him guilty.

He already had a suspended sentence for the same offence in May 2020 in Birmingham. His lawyer Peter Alcock said the scammer was an “intelligent, polite, cooperative and forthcoming” university student at the end of his fourth year.

The judge, Recorder Stuart Trimmer QC told him: “Appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody.” He was jailed for 15 months.

Thinumenan Ganelshalingam, 24, from Mitcham in south London, and Tharan Yogeswaran, 25, from Gillingham in Kent, were jailed for seven months and nine months respectively.