Romance fraudster gets date with prison cell

A romance fraudster who conned a woman out of her life savings has been jailed for three years.

Qaiser Saeed, 40, fleeced his 39-year-old victim after befriending her on an online dating site in 2013.

Saeed claimed he was single and ran a company when he was a married dad-of-three working as a security guard.

The conman told the woman he had been a victim of fraud and his bank account had been frozen, so persuaded her to pay large sums to him so he could pay his employees’ wages.

She ended up paying Saeed £47,650 before realising she was the victim of a scam.

Saeed was arrested on suspicion of fraud on 10 April 2014 and released on police bail, but
fled to Pakistan.

He flew back to the UK on 30 September 2019 and was arrested for fraud at Heathrow Airport.

Saeed, of Botwell Lane, Hayes, west London, was convicted of fraud by false representation after a trial at Aldersgate House in the City of London – one of the so-called Nightingale courts opened during the pandemic.

Speaking after he was jailed for three years Detective Sergeant James Harbour said: ‘Qaiser Saeed wilfully deceived the victim telling lie upon lie in order to deceive her into parting with her money.

‘Scammers, such as Saeed, are skilled liars who weave a complex web of falsehoods in order to manipulate vulnerable or trusting people, playing on their emotions before taking their money under false pretences.

‘Anyone can fall victim, regardless of age or gender. It is not unusual for victims to feel too embarrassed to tell police or a trusted person, or they may continue to believe that the suspect is telling them the truth as the reality of being scammed by someone they cared about is too difficult to contemplate.

‘I urge anyone who has fallen victim to this type of fraud to get in touch with police straight away. There is nothing to be embarrassed about and you will be supported by officers who understand how this despicable crime works and will support you.’