back to article Jailed fraudster admits running same cold-caller con from behind bars

The jailed kingpin behind a multimillion-pound fraud has admitted attempting to run an almost identical con from behind bars. Feezan "Fizzy" Hameed, 26, ran a voice-based phishing fraud which claimed 750 RBS group victims (mainly small businesses such as accountants and solicitors) and resulted in loses of £113m. He used his …

  1. LeahroyNake

    Fool me once

    It's obvious that he has / is not learning his lesson. He got caught twice for the same thing !!!!

    How the heck did he manage to do it while in prison though ?

    1. DNTP

      Re: Fool me once

      The rules prohibiting cell phones inside prisons are probably "relaxed" a little for people with enough money to corrupt prison workers.

    2. serendipity

      Re: Fool me once

      I think you're missed the point. This guy and his associates don't want to learn a lesson, they are just bad evil bast*rds. They'll just carry on scamming people until such time as they're stopped. As regards how did he do it whilst in prison? I know for a fact that there are mobile phones small enough to be smuggled into prison by being stuck up someone's arse, so it's not difficult to imagine how the means to make the calls was obtained. It suggests though that there's people on the outside assisting him - I hope they're nicked as well.

      As regards further punishment, it would be sweet if some sort of proceeds of crime order could be made against all those convicted to recover the missing £66m, just as they are about to be released from prison. Then if they don't pay up, they can be banged up again :)

      1. Mark 85

        Re: Fool me once

        As regards further punishment, it would be sweet if some sort of proceeds of crime order could be made against all those convicted to recover the missing £66m, just as they are about to be released from prison. Then if they don't pay up, they can be banged up again :)

        Yes... we seldom hear of the money being found or confiscated so obviously crime does pay after you get out of the slammer. I'm beginning to think that the death penalty might work... a bit harsh but at least they won't be able to either con anyone else nor spend the money.

        1. wayward4now
          Big Brother

          Re: Fool me once

          Or, cutting off the right hand. You gotta admit, it clearly identifies the thief, nor can he dwell amongst polite society again.

      2. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

        Tell me more

        Please go into more detail about sticking this guy's phone right up his arse. With the charger plugged in please. And not CE safety compliant.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Tell me more

          Please go into more detail about sticking this guy's phone right up his arse. With the charger plugged in please. And not CE safety compliant.

          I'd be more worried about explosion proofing. That's also why the charger has to remain connected while, umm, "in the hold" - you don't want a disconnect spark there :)

      3. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: Fool me once

        "As regards further punishment, it would be sweet if some sort of proceeds of crime order could be made against all those convicted to recover the missing £66m, just as they are about to be released from prison."

        I'd hope recovery proceeds have already been started. However AFAIK this goes to public funds rather than to the victims. Still, they may have to pay a £15 victim surcharge.

  2. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

    But... How much dosh was recovered?

    and given back to the victims.

    People like this need to rot in jail until they have paid their dues.

    Instead he'll get out after 5years and flee to Pakistan and live in luxury for the rest of his life.

    Who said that crime does not pay eh?

  3. tedleaf

    Hah,take his fingers off then..

    He likes to control people and things with his voice,he'll have to !!

    Try picking an itchty nose or scratching an ear etc without fingers ??

    1. Stevie

      Hah,take his fingers off then..

      That's how the Muslim extremists deal with the problem isn't it? And we call them animals for doing so, don't we? If we don't, we should.

      If you want revenge and repayment rather than any semblance of punitive rehabilitation, just do what the Chinese were reportedly doing back at the turn of the century (I love getting to say that) and chop him for his organs.

      For whatever reasons (and I think those cannot be generalized into a one-size-fits-all-perps soundbite) death penalties and threat of mutilation do not seem to be deterrents with respect to the crimes that call for them.

      Were I pressed to say why (my previous comment notwithstanding) I'd suggest that the criminal mindset does not worry overmuch about consequences, only potential wealth gain.

  4. Chris G

    Punishment

    Doesn't have to fit the crime but it should be recogniseable as punishment.

    We have one AC who thinks racism is relevant when all it is, is proof of ignorance and nothing to do with PC.

    The following two, who undoubtedly would consider themselves 'civilised want to either take Hameed's life or his fingers.

    Either of you willing to do the job or is that something for a professional killer or torturer?

    I think it may be better to bring back genuine Hard Labour, provide a basic subsistance diet and accomodation and allow perks if you work harder. Very limited visiting and cell sweeps on a regular basis, no TV and no telephone except for communicating with a lawyer.

    Still not civilised treatment in a PC sense but more of a punishment than the current HMP system.

    1. Adam 52 Silver badge

      Re: Punishment

      El Reg commentards are always amusing on crime and punishment. And with a couple of exceptions completely uninformed on the reality of the criminal justice system.

      If he'd have been old fashioned and used physical force then the mob wouldn't have been anywhere near as offended as they are because he used some electronic kit, and yet the victims would have been much worse off.

      Before you get all offended that's not support for this evil person, but there are loads of others out there getting small < £100 fines for their n hundredth ABH conviction (which they then refuse to pay, and the court let's them).

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Punishment

      "The following two, who undoubtedly would consider themselves 'civilised want to either take Hameed's life or his fingers."

      I'm not civilized, I'm an American. Kill him dead so he can't steal again. He was still gaming the system WHILE IN CUSTODY, so he obviously learned nothing from being caught and sentenced and serving his "punishment". He is nothing more than a drain on society, a pimple on the ass of humanity. How many grandparents or other easily mislead people did he take advantage of when building his empire of ill-gotten gains? Was he giving his stash of cash to the less fortunate to make their lives better? Sending hordes of kids through college so they can make a difference in the world? Was he using his money to provide clean drinking water to remote villages? No, he was using it for ho's and blow and fancy cars. Kill him so he can never steal again, and let's move on. Only his ho's and his drug suppliers will ever miss him.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Misjudging

    Clearly he had a difficult childhood. Probably he wasn't shown enough affection. We shouldn't be punishing him. We should release him at once and provide him with several years of therapy and care.

    Or alternatively ship him back to Pakistan and let them lock him up there.

  6. Grunchy Silver badge

    Phishers

    My work is taking phishing more seriously since some viruses got into the network storage & had to be excised. So management started sending scam phishing emails to everybody on staff - and there are some that just cannot figure out the difference between legitimate communication and a suspicious phishing attempt. They click every link sent their way, probably in like 2 seconds without a care in the world.

    So the company is (I imagine) working its way toward barring certain individuals from being able to communicate using company email.

    It seems like they may also have to consider barring the same individuals from talking on the phone, or even receiving visitors for that matter.

    The sad thing is that social-engineering phishers could easily get to those individuals merely by taking them for lunch, at which point they'd probably have to just be let go.

    This seems like a logical conclusion, except I think just about anyone is susceptible to being fooled at one time or another...

    1. herman

      Re: Phishers

      You are blaming the user, instead of fixing the problem. A computer browser and mail system is supposed to be able to be used to click links. If bad links are presented to the users then it is YOUR problem not theirs. Passing the buck is not acceptable in IT.

      1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        Re: Phishers

        You are blaming the user, instead of fixing the problem.

        Go on then - you obviously have a solution. What is it? A magic black box that can understand the difference between a legitimate email and a phishing email?

        Market it. You would make billions.

        Not everything has a technological solution. People *do* have to learn to take responsibility for their actions and "but all I did was click on a link" isn't a valid excuse. Asking people to educate themselves (or turn up at a company-run course and *actually* learn) isn't unreasonable.

        And, if they can't work out if it's safe, the least they can do is ask someone.

        PS: It's also not "passing the buck" to expect people to familiarise themselves with their operating environment - and that includes threat detection. Which is something we are all biologically programmed to do anyway - it just needs retraining.

  7. The Nazz

    Hmmm, mostly accountants and lawyers.

    I have a little sympathy for the accountants.

    Re : the insiders at Lloyds, any detailed info on these people? Would be interesting to know. I have my suspicions.

    In view of this, one wouldn't think Lloyds would give ALL their account info to the Indian sub-continent. Now would they?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Phone calls are so passe

    If you call me at home and I don't know you or expect your call, I simply hang up.

    I no longer take unsolicited calls of any kind.

    Period.

  9. cantankerous swineherd

    this seems to be at least partly a story about bank security?

  10. herman

    I think we need to bring back prison islands. Some place nice where they can cool their heels, such as Scott Island, or Peter I Island off the coast of Antarctica would be ideal.

  11. mark l 2 Silver badge

    It is extremely unlikely he would be able to do it from the prison's phone system as the prison service instruction related to communications requires all numbers be approved before they can be called, and all calls are recorded and some cons will even have all their calls monitored in real time by the staff if they think they are using the prison phone to intimidate victims or commit a crime.

    Mobile phones are a big problem in prison though, either they can be thrown over the wall (I have heard of dead pigeons being used as a 'jiffy bag' to hide and protect the phone when doing this) and they lag picks it up from the exercise yard. Flown over the wall with a drone, Smuggled in on a visit by a friend or family member or even unfortunately on rare occasions brought in by corrupt staff.

    As for the charger, you don't need a plug just a micro USB cable these days, which are easier to smuggle up the bum. Then the prisoners can easily find somewhere to plug it in with a USB interface -some prisoners are allowed Playstations and xbox console if they have been well behaved which have USB ports- or else strip the USB plug of the end and charge it from AA batteries or from the 5v port on the SCART sockets they have on the cell TVs.

    Once we get rid of all these inner city prisons and all prisons are out of town i can't see any reason why they can't block all mobiles in the area by having their own mobile base station which only allows approved IMEI numbers to connect. Staff and other visitors have to leave their phones at the gate house so its not a problem for them.

  12. HmmmYes

    A 26yo fraudster .... yeah, just him .... not his fmaily and 100+ cousins and relations.

    Where do you think the money went (pakistan), how do you think it made its way there?

    A criminal culture.

    1. phuzz Silver badge
      IT Angle

      Mate, he's from Glasgow, and they get a bit grumpy about being called a criminal culture up there.

  13. Dan McIntyre

    Getting phones (and even keys and other items) into a prison is easy. Just get a wheelchair.

    Seriously, I am a wheelchair user and a few years back had a friend in prison who I visited on a regular basis. I have a zippered pouch on the front of my chair which hangs just behind my knees and is large enough to hold my mobile, keys, some medications and catheters and other essentials.

    I was never searched when entering the prison for visits and always had my mobile and car keys with me. I suspect many other supposedly secure locations will be similarly lax in checking people in wheelchairs.

  14. Version 1.0 Silver badge

    Hard work pays off

    Clearly, had the lad been better connected, he could have been doing this sort of work legitimately for a banking or stock broker enterprise - I'm off to see my pension and retirement advisors in a day or two for the annual "review" and the difference between them and this lad is very small. Except they invest my money legitimately, it's just my bad luck that makes them wealthy.

  15. Stevie

    Bah!

    See dictionary entry for "incorrigible".

    Why not equip his cell with an old-style telephone and send him automated calls at random times after lights-out? If he picks up, have a recorded voice tell him his Vinodws are loading viruses to the internet.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like