Two men have been jailed after they targeted vulnerable people in Watford and conned them out of thousands of pounds.

Ishmail Sarwar, 24, of High Road, Willesden, and Zhaigham Kiyani, 26, of Craigmuir Park, Wembley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud on April 21.

The pair were involved in courier fraud offences between October 2019 and January 2020, in which they contacted vulnerable people in Watford and Welwyn Garden City pretending to be a DC Martin Rose.

The victims were informed that their bank accounts were being used by fraudsters and asked to withdraw money, purchase high value items or provide bank cards.

A courier was then despatched to the victims’ addresses to collect the items - with the men conning them out of more than £10,000.

On Tuesday May 18, Sarwar was sentenced to four years 10 months in jail and Kiyani was sentenced to four years.

Detective Inspector Rob Burns, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said: “Courier fraud has been a significant concern in the county for a number of years.

"They often target vulnerable victims who can lose thousands of pounds to these scams.

“It can be very difficult to catch those responsible, they often change tactics when a scam becomes known but they are very good at convincing their victims to part with money and they are often long gone by the time the police are alerted.

"Anyone in a similar situation should be aware that police officers will never contact you in this way or ask you to withdraw money, make electronic transfers or purchase goods and vouchers.

"If you are in any doubt contact the police on 101 using a different phone.”

For more advice on fraud visit the force's website.

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