The charity Crimestoppers launched a campaign to locate ten of the UK’s most wanted fraudsters.
Together, the ten on Crimestoppers’ Most Wanted Fraudsters list are believed to be responsible for at least £200 million of fraud. As an example, Nasser Ahmed, born on 28 October 1972, is wanted for his role in a large scale VAT fraud in the region of £156m in the Bristol area. He absconded during the trial and was sentenced to six years in his absence. His current location is not known.
Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, Founder and Chair of Crimestoppers, said: “This is not a victimless crime. Every single one of us is paying higher taxes, bank charges and insurance fees because of fraud.
“The amount of fraud against the public purse is around £27 billion a year. This is equivalent to 30 per cent of the estimated national education budget for 2011/2012. Think of the many cuts and savings that would not have to occur if we did not suffer this level of fraud!
“Serious fraudsters often operate as part of gangs and fraud is just one of their business streams. This can result in the funding of drugs and people trafficking, which causes real harm to many.
“Fraud is not acceptable and must not be tolerated. If you know of anyone committing fraud, or know the whereabouts of those featured in this campaign, I urge you to call the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or to visit our website www.crimestoppers-uk.org and fill in an online form, we guarantee that no one will know your identity. Help us take these criminals out of circulation.”
Two individuals are wanted by the City of London Police. Mohamad Khan is wanted in connection with the alleged purchase of over £100,000 worth of high value goods using counterfeit credit cards. The other is an unknown woman believed to be linked to a bank account fraud valued at £650,000.
The campaign features other wanted individuals from London including Timur Mehmet, wanted by HMRC in connection with a £25 million VAT fraud, and Misba Uddin, wanted for questioning by Metropolitan Police for the alleged submission of £5.7 million-worth of fraudulent mortgage applications.
Ajayi Seun is charged with conspiracy to money launder and has failed to sign on at Sutton Police Station in breach of Crown Court Bail granted at Ipswich Crown Court. His previous address was in Carshalton and has not been seen at this address since May 24. He is believed to have conned mortgage lenders and banks out of an amount In excess of £12m between 2004 and 2009. He is a solicitor and has worked at a solicitors in the Old Kent Rd London. He has strong links to the Carshalton area.
For a full list of the ten individuals featured as part of the campaign – visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org/fraud
Background
Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has received over a million actionable calls, resulting in over 108,000 arrests and charges. Over £115 million of goods has been recovered and over £213 million worth of drugs has been seized. In 2005, Crimestoppers launched the UK’s Most Wanted on its website which allows the public to view images of criminals and pass on vital information about their whereabouts. It has seen over 1,000 arrests to date.
