A woman on her quest to find love lost her live savings to a con artist she met on a dating site.
Qaiser Saeed ‘weaved a complex web of falsehoods’ over the course of four months, and presented himself as a single man who owned his own company.
The 40-year-old also claimed his bank account had been frozen due to him being a victim of fraud.
Taking advantage of his 39-year-old victim’s trusting nature, Saeed deceived her into transferring just over £47,000 into his account, which he claimed he would use to pay his employees’ wages until his account was unfrozen.
But in reality, Saeed was a married man with children who worked as a security guard.
The fraudster, of Botwell Lane in Hayes, appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday where he was sentenced to three years in prison for fraud by false representation.
The man was previously found guilty of the offence by a jury at Barbican Nightingale Court on September 3 last year.
During the trial, the court heard how in May 2013 Saeed had befriended the 39-year-old woman via an online dating site.
Police arrested Saeed on April 10, 2014, on suspicion of fraud but he was released on police bail pending further enquiries.
Only a week later, he breached his bail conditions and fled the country to Pakistan to escape punishment.
But justice prevailed five years later on September 30, 2019 when Saeed brazenly flew into Heathrow on a student visa.
To his surprise he was arrested at the airport on suspicion of fraud and was charged the following day with fraud by false representation.
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.’
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