Man Sentenced for Conning Single Women on Dating Websites
Online dating can be a wonderful way to meet new people and potentially find love. However, there are always a few bad apples who take advantage of others for personal gain. Khalid Mahmood, a 44-year-old man, recently found himself in a London court facing charges of fraud and theft after conning single women out of thousands of pounds through dating websites.
Mahmood’s scheme involved luring women into exclusive membership deals with a gold trading club in exchange for large sums of money. He targeted vulnerable women, persuading them to hand over cash under false pretenses. Three counts of fraud by false representation and three counts of theft were brought against him.
One of his victims met Mahmood outside Kings Cross station in March 2020. He convinced her to give him £6,000 for the exclusive membership. To complete the transaction, he accompanied her to a photo booth in the station, promising to fill out the necessary forms on her phone. However, once she emerged from the booth, Mahmood had disappeared along with her money and phone, which he later used to withdraw an additional £200.
In November of the same year, Mahmood met another victim at Manchester Piccadilly station. He employed the same tactics and convinced her to hand over £7,000. However, his plan hit a snag when he couldn’t locate a photo booth. While the victim went into a shop to inquire, Mahmood made off with her cash.
The third victim encountered Mahmood in Oxford, where he attempted to convince her to join his “exclusive” gold trading club. Despite her initial refusal and claiming to have no money, Mahmood called her later that day to inform her that he had signed her up and that she needed to come up with £4,000. Desperate, she borrowed the cash from her mother. When they met at Victoria station, Mahmood asked her to withdraw an additional £300. While she went to search for a photo booth, he disappeared with her phone and money.
Mahmood’s criminal activities were brought to an end when he was arrested by British Transport Police (BTP) officers in April of the following year. They were waiting for him at Gatwick airport upon his return from Pakistan. Investigating officer DC Jennifer Brown stated that Mahmood had gained the trust of these women through online communication and phone calls before presenting them with his scam.
She added, “Mahmood snared the women, none of whom could afford to lose the cash he stole from them, by promising potential riches from his connections to the gold trading market.” Describing the diligent work of the police, Brown emphasized that criminal behavior would not be tolerated, and efforts would continue to deter those who exploit the rail network for their criminal activities.
At his court hearing, Mahmood was handed a nine-month suspended sentence, required to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, attend a rehabilitation requirement for 35 days, and pay £20,000 in compensation to his victims. Hopefully, this serves as a lesson to others who may consider taking advantage of unsuspecting individuals in the future.
