DESI YOUNG FRAUDSTER'S £113M SCAM

The mastermind behind Britain's largest "vishing" scam, Feezan Hameed Choudhary, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for orchestrating a sophisticated fraud that conned 750 individuals and small businesses out of an estimated £113 million. At its peak, the criminal enterprise was siphoning up to £2 million per week by posing as anti-fraud investigators from major banks.

Choudhary, a 23-year-old British Bangladeshi and Sylheti from Glasgow, was described by a judge as "authoritative to the point of being bullying." Known as "The Voice," he used various accents to deceive victims into revealing their bank details. The gang would manipulate phone networks to display false numbers, a tactic designed to lend credibility to their deceitful calls. The victims, many of whom were accountants and solicitors, were relentlessly targeted. The immense financial and emotional toll on the victims was significant, with some companies going bankrupt and at least one victim committing suicide.

The Lavish Lifestyle and Accomplices-With the stolen money, Choudhary and his accomplices lived a life of extreme luxury. They flaunted their wealth on social media, with Choudhary posting images of himself with a tiger and mingling with celebrities. The millions they stole were spent on lavish parties, luxury vacations in Dubai, and shopping sprees at Harrods, where they once spent £48,000 in a single visit. The gang's fleet of high-end cars included Bentleys, Range Rovers, a Rolls-Royce, and a lime-green Lamborghini.

The fraud was carried out with the help of a network of "money mules" who funneled the stolen funds into accounts in Dubai and Pakistan. Several of Choudhary's accomplices were also sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy. These individuals included Nouman Choudhary, Bushra Shabab, Syed Ali Amish, Syed Haider, Mohammed Mehtab, Muhammad Azhar, and Abdul Iqbal. While Choudhary was sentenced to 11 years, he later received an additional two-and-a-half-year sentence for masterminding a similar scam from his prison cell.

To date, a significant portion of the stolen funds, approximately £66 million, has not been recovered.