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Posted on: June 9, 2023, 07:08h.
Last updated on: June 9, 2023, 11:09h.
Sajad Hussain, a romance scammer from the UK who exploited women from dating websites to finance his gambling habit, is on his way to prison. His escapades involved fleecing three women of their money for almost a decade while being married to another.
Media outlet Swindon Advertiser reports that Hussain, a married man with two homes, was arrested in October 2020 following a report by one of his victims. From there, authorities initiated an investigation into the matter, revealing that he had conned the women out of £200,000 (US$250,900).
The investigation further disclosed that he had been using untraceable mobile phones to communicate with his victims over the seven-year period he perpetrated his scam. How he managed to keep from confusing all four women – he married his wife in 2018, five years into his plan – remains a mystery.
The Long Con
It all began in 2013. Hussain reportedly met the women, who remain unidentified, through dating sites, including Plenty of Fish and Badoo. He went to great lengths, even masquerading as a police officer, to deceive them into thinking they had a solid relationship.
From there, the scam took root and continued to grow. Hussain started requesting more funds from the women by guaranteeing repayment for the item or service provided. His excuses ran from having to repair a friend’s car he damaged to needing rent money to avoid eviction.
He even conjured up his deceased father. Hussain concocted stories about his father sustaining severe injuries while skiing and his mother battling breast cancer, which were later revealed to be untrue during the trial.
The cons routinely worked. One victim sold family heirlooms, while another received a high-interest loan from their family. All of them felt violated.
Hussain received a scathing rebuke from one of the women, who read a victim impact statement in court. She expressed her feelings of being overwhelmed and described the impact of the crime on her and her family as “astronomical.”
Another emphasized how Hussain’s actions still affected her years later. Because of her financial debt, she was unable to take full maternity leave after having a baby.
No Remorse
One victim gave him £15,500 (US$19,435) between December 2013 and December 2014. Hussain convinced another to give him £140,000 (US$175,546) from June 2014 to June 2020. The third lost £48,500 (US$60,814) to his scam. He allegedly spent all of it gambling.
Hussain’s wrongdoing resulted in five charges of fraud, to which he pleaded guilty this past April. Although he tried to feign remorse in court, it didn’t work. That was one of the few scams he couldn’t get away with.
The plans were too elaborate and well-designed for Hussain to have any feelings of guilt. He created fake names, fake personalities, and a myriad of fake excuses to keep his tales going.
The judge in the case saw right through all of it. “You were cold-hearted and mercenary, tossing them aside when they were no longer of any financial use to you,” he told Hussain.
For the next two and a half years, Hussain will stay behind bars. After that, he’ll be eligible for probation. The victims, however, will never get their money back.
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