A Londoner who travelled to Jersey and used stolen payment card details to obtain thousands of pounds worth of electrical goods has been jailed for two years and three months.
Tasnimuzzaman Siddiquee (26) was sentenced in the Royal Court yesterday following a fraud spree involving three Island retailers.
Siddiquee travelled from London, where he lived, on 17 May after pre-ordering some of the goods.
He used stolen card information to fraudulently buy around £7,500 worth of electrical goods from the Powerhouse and the IQ store before collecting them in person from both shops.
Siddiquee attempted to make another purchase worth £3,177.99 at FotoSound, but police were alerted before the goods could be collected.
He was arrested when he arrived at the shop to pick up the order on 21 May.
When taken into custody, Siddiquee gave officers false personal details in an attempt to hide his identity and hinder the investigation.
Investigators subsequently established who he was and he later admitted the offences.
Police recovered all of the goods obtained through the fraudulent purchases, meaning the retailers suffered no financial loss.
Advocate Allana Binnie, defending, described Siddiquee as “somewhat of a young and naive man”.
She said he had become involved in crime after falling into thousands of pounds of debt.
Advocate Binnie said Siddiquee, who was unemployed and had no way of repaying the money himself, agreed to travel to Jersey in the hope that doing so would settle it.
“At the time, he was in fear of reprisals. That fear overrode all other thoughts,” she added.
Detective Sergeant Dave Webster of the Joint Financial Crimes Unit said: “This case demonstrates that Jersey is not a soft target for organised fraudsters who seek to exploit local businesses for financial gain.
“The defendant travelled to Jersey with the intention of committing criminal offences and profiting from stolen financial information.
“Thanks to the vigilance of the retailer and the prompt action taken by officers, he was arrested before he could complete further fraudulent transactions.”
He added that the unit welcomed the Royal Court sentence and remained committed to pursuing those who target Island businesses and residents.
Businesses have been urged to remain vigilant for suspicious transactions and report concerns to police as soon as possible.
