A conwoman who posed as a house-sitter with impeccable references and stole tens of thousands of pounds worth of valuables has been sentenced to five years in prison. Ariana Rose, 40, who also used the name Sana Ali, systematically plundered the homes she was entrusted to look after, replacing precious items with fakes and engaging in wider fraud schemes.
Rose operated through websites such as TrustedHousesitters, where she cultivated a persona of a trustworthy and sociable individual. Homeowners, seeking to avoid kennels for their pets while on holiday, would hire her, often impressed by her glowing reviews and seemingly professional demeanor. However, once inside their homes, Rose would search for valuables she believed would not be immediately missed.
Among the items stolen were antique silver, vintage champagne, designer shoes, a Second World War medal, and high-value jewelry, often replaced with inexpensive replicas. In one instance, a homeowner discovered a diamond bracelet and ring were fakes only after noticing the lightness of the jewelry boxes. The extent of her larceny became fully apparent when police searched her flat, which was described as an "Aladdin's Cave" of stolen goods. Images showed Rose weighing piles of silver, presumably for scrap value.
Rose's criminal history dates back to at least 2008, when she was convicted of fraud while working at Barclays bank, receiving a suspended sentence. In 2011, she was jailed for 20 months for property fraud, where she posed as a landlord to defraud prospective tenants. Between 2016 and 2018, she continued her schemes by sub-letting a rented flat in Manchester, using fake tenancy documents and impersonating the landlord, pocketing over £30,000 in fraudulent rent and fees while also claiming universal credit and earnings from other jobs.
Despite multiple reports to police and Action Fraud (now Report Fraud) regarding her past activities, no action was taken in several instances, with one case being dismissed as a civil matter. This allowed Rose to continue her offenses. In September 2023, she rented a flat in London, stopped paying rent, and faced eviction proceedings that cost the property manager £6,000. It was after this that the property manager began investigating Rose's past and launched a private criminal prosecution.
During her house-sitting activities between July and October of last year, Rose targeted at least five properties in Warwickshire, Suffolk, and Somerset. Victims included a couple near Newmarket, who lost vintage champagne and a son's wedding presents, and another couple in Warwickshire who discovered their silver and gold items, including a 1930s diamond cocktail watch, had been stolen. In Somerset, a CBE awarded to a relative and rare coins were taken. Many victims expressed shock and a sense of violation, questioning the vetting processes of house-sitting platforms.
TrustedHousesitters stated that Rose used fraudulent identities to circumvent verification checks and that she had been removed from the platform on multiple occasions before finding a way back on. They emphasized that such incidents are rare and that they work with police when they occur.
At Southwark Crown Court, Rose pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud and one of perverting the course of justice, in addition to five counts of theft related to her house-sitting. The total sum involved in the offenses was £67,000. In sentencing, Judge Nicholas Rimmer described her actions as displaying "callous cruelty" with a "long lasting and invidious effect" on her victims. In mitigation, it was mentioned that Rose had an unhappy childhood and "spiralled into fraud" after her father's death in 2023, though her criminal behavior began much earlier. She has also been accused of defrauding brides-to-be by taking payment for hair and makeup services and failing to deliver.