A man already serving a prison sentence for serious fraud offences has been jailed for a further three years.
Ali Bakhitary, 31 from Harrogate, was found guilty of running a significant E-Bay scam where victims paid up to £6,000 for Swiss Watches which they never received.
The victims, from Sheffield, Leeds and Lincolnshire, all transferred their payments into his account. However, despite chasing Bakhitary, who posed under different sellers identities each time, the victims never received the goods they had paid for.
Bakhitary pleaded guilty in court to four offences, three fraud offences and one of conceal, disguise and covert criminal property, all of which he committed between February and April 2015.
Bakhitary was already serving a three and a half year prison sentence for fraud offences he committed both online, using E-Bay and Gumtree, during 2014.
Corrina Graham-Merrett from the Harrogate Investigation Hub, said:
Ali Bakhtiary is a conman who hides behind a shop front, “Items for sale” to carry out his crimes.
He utilised the internet as a tool to trick people into paying him money. Bakhitary also befriended vulnerable people, gaining their confidence in him, to facilitate the use of their bank accounts to hide his illegal activities.
Many individuals have sadly fallen victim to his lies and scams, which he repeatedly carried out purely for personal financial gain. He is now where he belongs – behind bars.
This additional sentence sends out a clear message to fraudsters and those who want to take form innocent people – commit fraud and we will catch you. We will fully investigate all your fraudulent activity and put you before the courts.
North Yorkshire Police takes fraud very seriously. To report online scams, which include email scams, contact Action Fraud.
If you think you have been targeted online then call the police on 101.
