Serial Fraudster Jailed for Decade for Multi-Million Pound Pensioner Scams

A serial fraudster has been sentenced to ten years in prison for his role in a sophisticated banking scam that targeted vulnerable pensioners. Azeem Mohammed, 35, was central to a 'vishing' operation that defrauded eight elderly victims out of a combined total of almost £1.2 million.

The crimes occurred between 2022 and 2024, with victims, aged between 77 and 89, primarily located in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. The losses ranged from £19,500 to £333,292.

Mohammed even sent a message to the daughter of an 89-year-old victim, stating, "I scammed your father [out] of £165k." The court heard that victims typically received calls from individuals posing as their bank's fraud team, claiming their accounts were compromised. These callers then provided instructions that led the victims to transfer their money.

One victim had £165,000 stolen in May 2022. The victim's daughter received an email from an address she associated with her father containing abusive messages, including the statement about the £165,000 scam.

Another victim, a 79-year-old man, lost £333,292 over several weeks. The investigation into Mohammed was part of a larger probe by the City of London Police. His Manchester home was searched in April 2024, leading to the seizure of two phones that contained information about the victims, including personal details and banking arrangements.

During the sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Arthurson described Mohammed's offenses as "targeted and predatory." He noted that the case represented "one of the worst frauds of this nature to come before the courts with multiple, very real victims and, similarly real, quantifiable loss."

This is not Mohammed's first conviction for such crimes. He was previously jailed for six years in England in 2024 for defrauding other elderly victims of £1 million through similar methods. Additionally, in February 2026, he received a nearly four-year sentence at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for his involvement in another fraudulent scheme.

Lord Arthurson characterized Mohammed as a "serial and committed fraudster – a professional scammer" who "pursued a despicable criminal project against some of the most vulnerable in our society, taking a wrecking ball to their lives, their families and the wider community." The ten-year sentence will commence from this week.