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PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release:
22 August 2014
Fraudsters sentenced for £1.6m card scam
Two fraudsters received a total of 3 years suspended sentence today [22 August 2014] after
being convicted of carrying out a £1.64 million scam using stolen credit card details. The
sentence at The Old Bailey follows an investigation by the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime
Unit (DCPCU), the specialist police unit sponsored by the banking industry through Financial
Fraud Action UK (FFA UK).
Cousins Anand Shah, 33, and Jaimin Shah, 26, both of Surbiton, Surrey, stole a PIN entry
device from a South London pub before hacking into it to alter the device’s software. The
compromised device was then manipulated to retain credit card data and PINs.
The fraudsters intended to place the device in restaurants and clubs throughout London
allowing them to harvest the data from the magnetic stripe on the back of customers’ credit
cards – a method known as ‘card skimming’ – along with capturing the PIN.
When a customer came to pay, their credit card would be swiped through the compromised
device before the customer entered their PIN. The device was then designed to print out a
payment declined receipt. The customer would then be given a legitimate PIN entry device to
carry out the real payment.
The stolen credit card data would then be later downloaded from the device and used to create
cloned magnetic stripe cards for misuse in countries where Chip & PIN has not yet been rolled
out.
Acting on intelligence, officers from the DCPCU carried out an operation to apprehend Shah
and Shah. Subsequent searches of their home addresses revealed a laptop containing over
four thousand credit card numbers, along with counterfeit credit cards, skimming equipment,
card rewriters, software, cash and drugs. The total estimated potential loss to the industry from
the compromised credit cards is £1.64 million.
Anand Shah received a 24 month sentence suspended for 2 years and 300 hours community
service. Jaimin Shah received a 12 month sentence suspended for 2 years and 100 Hours
community service. They were also ordered to pay £3,240 in compensation.
DCI Perry Stokes, Head of the DCPCU, commented:
‘These fraudsters preyed on their unknowing victims, with the potential for over £1.5 million of
losses to the industry. Thanks to the hard work of our officers, their scam has been dismantled
and they have been brought to justice. The message to others tempted to do the same is clear
– you will be caught.”
Established in April 2002, the DCPCU has since achieved an estimated £450 million in savings
from reduced fraud activity – equating to around £800,000 per week. So far this year, the Unit
has secured 29 convictions. Over the course of 2013, action led by the DCPCU resulted in 48
convictions.
-Ends-
For further information please contact The Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) Press Office on
020 3217 8436 or email [email protected]
Notes to editors:
1. Sentences received:
Anand Shah of Hook Rise South, Surbiton, Surrey (27/09/1980): 24 month sentence
suspended for 2 years and 300 hours community service.
Jaimin Shah of St. Marks Heights 2, Lamberts Road, Surbiton, Surrey (23/12/1987): 12
month sentence suspended for 2 years and 100 Hours community service
The Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU) is a unique pro-active police unit, with a
national remit, formed as a partnership between Financial Fraud Action UK, the City of London Police and
the Metropolitan Police together with the Home Office. It is fully sponsored by the cards and banking
industries, with an on-going brief to investigate, target and, where appropriate, arrest and seek successful
prosecution of offenders responsible for card, cheque and payment fraud crimes. It is headed up by a
Detective Chief Inspector and comprises officers from the Metropolitan and City of London police forces
who work alongside banking industry fraud investigators and support staff.
Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) is the name under which the financial services industry coordinates its activity on fraud prevention, presenting a united front against financial fraud and its effects.
Financial Fraud Action UK (www.financialfraudaction.org.uk) works in partnership with The UK Cards
Association on industry initiatives to prevent fraud on credit and debit cards, with the Fraud Control
Steering Group on non-card fraud.
The UK Cards Association is the trade body for the card payments industry in the UK, representing
financial institutions which act as card issuers and acquirers. Members of the Association account for the
vast majority of debit and credit cards issued in the UK - issuing in excess of 55 million credit cards and
95 million debit cards - and cover the whole of the payment card acquiring market.