Identity fraudsters jailed after swindling 90k from couple

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A 'crime group' targeted insecure post boxes to take personal information and assume identities


Fraudsters stole a couple’s £90,000 pension by intercepting their post to steal their identities.

Saeed Ghani, 30, and Toma Ramanauskaite, 30, took out driving licences in the husband and wife’s names and used them as identification to open bank accounts.

The pair then approached the Boothstown couple’s pension company to transfer the sum into the fraudulently-opened accounts. Police said they spent part of the money without the victims’ knowledge.

It’s not known as yet whether they are facing hearings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

A specialist police unit - GMP’s Fraud Team - launched an investigation into a ‘crime group’ involving Ghani, Ramanauskaite and a second man, Atif Mahmood. They have now secured convictions and prison sentences.

The three fraudsters also attempted to steal two homes with a combined value of more than £800,000 - all through identity theft.

In June 2012, Ghani and Mahmood, 42, conspired to steal identity documents from an insecure post box in the Stockport area.

They used the stolen mail to hijack the identity of the homeowner and fraudulently transferred the land registry deeds of the property into Ghani’s name.

The pair then made attempts to sell the house, worth over £500,000, at auction, but the plot was foiled when the daughter of the victim noticed her father’s house was listed for sale on a property website and alerted police.

In another incident, Ghani again managed to steal the identities of two homeowners in Bolton.

He used fraudulent passports in a bid to transfer the land registry deeds of their property, worth over £300,000.

Ghani, of Polefield Circle, Prestwich, pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to defraud and at Preston Crown Court, was jailed for seven and a half years.

Mahmood, of Sarnsfield Close, Gorton, was jailed for two years, two months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud.


Ramanauskaite, of Spring Street, Bury, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud. She will be sentenced in November.

Det Sgt Phil Larratt urged people to secure postal mail boxes, destroy documents and letters containing personal information and take measures to protect their identities.

He said: “In all three cases Ghani worked with an associate to hijack people’s identities by stealing their mail. In the first crime he worked with Atif Mahmood to fraudulently transfer the land registry deeds of the victim’s house.

“It wasn’t until the homeowner’s daughter noticed his house for sale on a website that they realised something was wrong and notified the police. Unfortunately in the final case, Ghani along with Ramanauskaite were again able to successfully hijack further identities to steal a couple’s pension.”