FOUR men who scammed elderly people in Worcestershire out of hundreds of thousands of pounds have been ordered to pay compensation to the victims – but three of them will hand back just £1.

The offenders claimed to be police officers investigating a fraud at a local bank. Of the 50 victims they targeted by phone, 15 were persuaded to hand over money, with a total of over £200,000 stolen in total.

Mohammed Hadi, 34, of Uamvar Street, London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and was sentenced to six years in prison in February 2019. He made £213,000 for his part in the crimes, however, he was thought to have no available assets to repay this amount and was ordered to pay a nominal amount of £1.

Idris Ali, 24, of Belmont Street, Oldham, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and was sentenced to 16 months in prison, with his sentence suspended for two years. He received £40,000 for his part in the crimes, however, he was deemed to have £6,932 currently available, which he must repay within three months.

John Atkins, 68, of Hawksley Street, Oldham, allowed his bank account to be used to receive funds from victims of the frauds. He has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. He received a benefit of £13,565 for his part in the crimes, however, he was said to have no available assets to repay this amount and was ordered to pay a nominal amount of £1.

Rizwan Uddin, 22, of Collingwood Street, London, was involved in laundering of victims’ money, along with other offenders. He has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. He received a benefit of £7,340 for his part in the crimes, however, he was thought to have no available assets to repay this amount and was ordered to pay a nominal amount of £1.

The Judge ordered that the confiscated funds should be directed to the victims, as partial compensation for the losses they suffered.

West Mercia Police's Detective Inspector Emma Wright said “The defendants in this case took large amounts of money from vulnerable people by abusing the trust those victims have in the police, posing as officers who told the victims they must co-operate with a police investigation.”

“These orders recognise the life-changing amounts that were taken from some of these victims. Although the amounts the defendants have been ordered to pay are based on what they have available as assets now, it is important to remember that the total amount they have benefitted remains outstanding for life, until every penny has been repaid."

"If these defendants are found to have further assets at any time in the future, the amount they must repay will be raised, until they have paid back all that they took from the victims.

“The convictions and subsequent confiscation orders in this case, show that West Mercia Police will pursue offenders who directly target the elderly and vulnerable, including stripping them of any assets they have gained through crime. I hope this will deter other criminals who may be involved in these despicable offences, by showing that they will be convicted and have their ill-gotten gains removed."