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Asylum gang made £200,000 in crash scam
Justin Davenport and Rob Singh10.07.08
A gang of asylum seekers made £200,000 by faking insurance claims for car crashes.
The seven men, including Iraqi and Kuwaiti nationals who claimed they had been tortured in their homelands, submitted more than 50 bogus claims before they were detected.
They sought cash for supposedly high-value cars that had already been written off when the accidents took place. Claims included £23,000 for a Toyota, £10,000 for a Mercedes 300, more than £8,000 for a Mazda MX3 and £4,000 for a Ford Mondeo saloon.
All the men were either friends or relatives and five have since become British citizens.
City of London police launched an investigation after insurers became suspicious when they spotted the same addresses and vehicles appearing on numerous claims. Some of the group changed their name by deed poll and rented empty flats to use in the fake insurance claims.
They also bought cars from salvage yards to use in the scam.
When the fraudsters were arrested in June 2006 detectives found a Volvo parked outside one of their homes that had appeared in five of the claims.
Police found evidence that some of the gang, two of whom worked for a car rental company, were also claiming disability allowances because of their treatment in Iraq and Kuwait.
They had claimed that they had suffered torture and were receiving medication and treatment for depression as a result.
The seven men from north-west London were due to be sentenced today after pleading guilty at Croydon Crown Court last month to conspiracy to defraud in more than 30 insurance claims between 2003 and 2006.
The gang were Nasser Fahad Al Fadhly, 35, who was formerly Nasser Fahad Al Ameri; Razi Kreedy, 31, formerly Kazi Al Ameri; Duab Zamel Albadry, 26; Nasser Mihthaf Alfadhly, 37, formerly known as Nasser Fadel; Lafy Al Dafhery, 34; Ahmed Rahim, 29 and Khaled Atek Alfadli, 30.
Reader views (10)
I'm surprised they were even investigated. I had a fraud committed against me, my insurance company even had the birth certificate of the child of the claimant and so called independent witness., and still refused to prosecute. I was told off the record by one of their staff that it is more cost effective to let innocent customers take the blame and pay increased premiums. Insurance companies are happy to let fraud happen.
- Teddy Picker, London
When will people wake-up and realize that New Labour has for ten years been encouraging mass migration into this country, though the asylum system, student and work visas, etc, in an attempt to increase the number of people likely to vote for them?
Remember you don't need to be be British to vote here, EU and Commonwealth citizens can all vote in UK elections.
This is gerrymandering on a scale that Dame Shirley Porter could only dream about.
However as a consequence, we end up with criminals and terrorists walking the streets and claiming benefits.
- Sean, London, UK
Isn't there a case for changing a law to allow people to be stripped of their citizenship if they have gained it through naturalisation? There's no way these guys should be able stay in the country, claiming benefits, one day a pension, after being released from prison. It should be back to the middle-east. Just think what is going to happen in a couple of decades time when the London terrorists are released, some of them have also got citizenship - as things stand they'll probably be given new identities and protected at the tax payers expense.
- Ewan, London
Chris - London: Are you on the same planet as the rest of us? We take these people in (much to my regret) and this is how they repay us. You are right, we have our own criminals and fraudsters so why the hell are we importing more? I personally would send the lot of them back after serving their paltry sentences!
- Jonno, Glasgow
New Labour care more for garbage like these than they do for the indigenous population. Discrimination?..it is all aimed at the white, anglo-saxon protestant people born in the UK.
- Chris Davies, Stalybridge UK
What a complete joke this country has become under Labour. An Al Qaeda Muslim hate preacher strolls to the shops smiling at the cameras while another load of bogus asylum seekers are ripping off insurance companies.
For goodness sake, we are an island; how hard can it be to control our borders?
- Mikko Takala, Drumnadrochit, Scotland
The only way to put a stop to the abuse of the Asylum system is to vote for a political party at the next election that has the will to confront it. Sadly, that will not be the party in power at the moment who will definitely not be getting my vote.
- Ray, Ilford Essex
You have to admire their sheer use of ingenuity and nouse. These people have obviously suffered greatly in the past and are now trying to get a bit of fortune heading their way. They flee torture and aggression and what do we do? Lock them up again.
And what about all the British people who do these kind of scams. Where are the features about them?
- Chris, London
What a delightful group of young men, we are enriched yet again by asylum seekers who only come to the UK to steal and take advantage of our porous borders. I would also find out who approved their false benefit claims, and ensure they face prosecution. Deport them back to their home countries immediately. People who so blatantly abuse our hospitality deserve nothing from us.
- Gary, wycombe
Typical, that's the thanks you get from these low-lifers, you let them into the country because we feel sorry for them and that's the way they repay us. When are this Government going to wake up to this problem, most of the crime in this country is done by immigrants and asylum seekers. We should be more like the Australians, if they don't want to live and work like the rest of us, if they can't speak English, if they have no place to live sorted before they arrive and have no one to sponsor them,don't let them in.
- Terry Ballard, Hornchurch, Essex
