Man admits conning Glasgow pensioners out of thousands of pounds

A dad who was part of crime gang who posed as police and convinced an 88-year-old woman to hand over £6,000 has been branded “rotten to the core”.

31 year-old Arif Sattar,and others, duped three people into handing over almost £17,000 and tried to pocket a further £43,000 from others.

The group pretended to be police and bank staff and targeted people between 55 and 93-years-old, claiming their bank accounts or money was in danger or had been stolen.

OAP Janet Clark, 88, was the first victim to fall for the scheme when she was convinced to hand £6,000 to men she thought were police officers.

A further eight people were contacted including Alison Reid, 59, who transferred £3,000 to a “safe account” and 55-year-old Faye Oliver who transferred £7,780.

A police probe lead to Sattar’s Motherwell home where a mobile phone was found in his bedroom that was used to make 847 calls, including those targeted by the fraud.

Dad-of-two Sattar pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to acting with others between March and April 2017 and obtaining £16,780 and attempting to obtain £43,000.

Sheriff Lindsay Wood told him: “You are clearly rotten to the core, getting involved in doing that to elderly people.

“Not only have you defrauded some of these people of money, what you did has a significant impact mentally on those poor people.

“You are driven by greed, you’re a criminal - a true criminal.”

The court heard Mrs Clark was phoned and told her bank card had been used to take £500 from her account.

Procurator fiscal depute Richard Hill said: “The caller advised that he was phoning from the bank and that Mrs Clark would be required to attend at the bank in order to withdraw money.

“She was advised she should withdraw £6000 but not to tell anyone in the bank the reason for doing so and that she would be met outside the bank by a police officer who she was to hand the money over to, and that money would then be taken in to evidence.”

Mrs Clark went to the bank with her son and withdrew the cash and waited in her car.

Mr Hill added “Her son and her observed a red Audi TT sports car and two Asian males.

"One of the Asian males exited the car and approached Mrs Clark’s car, showing a Police Scotland badge on his mobile phone.

“Mrs Clark believing he was a police officer, handed over the £6000 that was contained in an envelope.

“The accused was identified by Mrs Clark as being one of the two individuals.”

Her son noted down the registration number that was later traced to Sattar’s address.

Days later Alison Reid, 59, received a call from someone who claimed to be from the Bank of Scotland security team who claimed her account had been compromised and she would lose money.

Mr Hill said: “The caller advised Mrs Reid in order to protect the money it had to be transferred to a safe account to which he provided the sort code and account number.

“Believing the caller was from the bank, she transferred £3,000.”

When the caller asked her about other accounts she held, she became suspicious and ended the call.

The third victim to fall for the scheme was 55-year-old Faye Oliver who transferred £7780 to an account provided to her by who she thought was fraud team from Bank of Scotland.

Among the others targeted was 93-year-old Anderson McCormack who was telephoned by someone claiming to work for a company who help police and that “suspicious payments” had been taken from his account.

Mr Hill added “A second caller identified himself as PC Anderson and advised Mr McCormack the police were involved in catching the person responsible and he should withdraw £5000 and offers would meet him to take the cash.”

But the savvy pensioner didn’t believe the call was legitimate, and didn’t take money out or go to the bank.

In April 2017, Police searched the house where Sattar lives and found the mobile phone used to make the calls in a bedroom which he admitted he had been using.

The phone was interrogated and found to have made 847 calls between March 17 and April 10, including the call to Mrs Clark.

Defence lawyer Ron MacKenna said his client’s position is that someone else is the main actor in this matter.

He said: “He didn’t make any of those phone calls nor did he speak to any of the persons, however he knew about it and he was present on two occasions.”

Mr MacKenna said Sattar’s involvement was to reduce a drug debt.

Sentence was deferred for sentencing until next month and Sattar was remanded in custody.