A prolific fraudster has been jailed after preying on elderly victims outside Tesco or Sainsbury’s stores in Watford and elsewhere.

Shehzada Nawaz was sentenced to 17 months’ imprisonment at Reading Crown Court yesterday (October 23).

The 41-year-old had previously admitted nine counts of theft and eight counts of fraud by false representation after being arrested and charged on August 7.

Shehzada Nawaz custody photo.Shehzada Nawaz custody photo. (Image: SEROCU) Between June and August this year, Nawaz of Barra Hall Road, Hayes, Greater London, targeted customers aged 69 to 95 using ATMs at numerous shops across the country including in Watford.

According to the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit(SEROCU), he would wait for his elderly victims to approach a cash machine before jumping in front of them and pretending it was broken.

Shehzada Nawaz using a victim's bank card.Shehzada Nawaz using a victim's bank card. (Image: SEROCU) Nawaz would then ‘help’ them to try and ‘fix’ the problem while really taking their bank cards and getting them to disclose their PIN number. He stole around £2,200 by using cards to make large transactions or withdraw a large amount of cash.

SEROCU Detective Constable Toby Wilson said: “Nawaz preyed on older members of society and dressed smartly in order to gain their trust.

  • Information about how to identify fraud and protect yourself is available at Stop!ThinkFraud.

Shehzada Nawaz purchasing goods using a victim's bank card to make purchases.Shehzada Nawaz purchasing goods using a victim's bank card to make purchases. (Image: SEROCU) “He would often commit two to three offences at the same location on the same day. On one occasion he was even on holiday with his family when he committed the offences.

“The Proactive Economic Crime Team was recently formed to tackle fraud and associated criminal networks. They worked alongside Tesco Bank and the City of London Police to identify Nawaz and that he was responsible for multiple incidents across the country.

“Using their investigative expertise to gain evidence, the team arrested Nawaz, taking him off the streets, and he will now spend time in prison.”