Cyber crook caught! Hendon man jailed for £1.9m fraud spree
Ramzan Abubakarov busted in massive cyber scam
Ramzan Abubakarov, 21, of Hendon, was sentenced to three years behind bars at Croydon Crown Court on Wednesday, 8 February. The young fraudster was convicted of multiple offences including fraud by false representation, supplying and possessing articles for use in fraud.
Despite pleading not guilty, the jury found him guilty of 10 charges after a fierce two-week trial back in December 2022.
How the Met’s cyber squad nailed the hacker
Detective Superintendent Helen Rance, head of cybercrime for the Met, said: “Taking away the tools and systems that enable criminals to exploit and target innocent people is a great challenge. But we are dedicated to bringing these criminals to justice.”
Operating under several aliases on an encrypted social platform, Abubakarov ran a vast cybercrime network. The Cyber Defence Alliance flagged him in November 2020, launching a Met investigation that tracked cryptocurrency, analysed communications data, and involved close work with UK banks and partners.
He was finally arrested in November 2021, with laptops and phones seized from his home. Forensics uncovered personal and financial data from over 30,000 victims, custom phishing kits targeting UK and international banks, and a database holding more than a million mobile numbers worldwide.
£1.9million lost to scammer’s shady Telegram racket
Abubakarov ran one of the largest UK-targeted Telegram channels, where he coordinated frauds ranging from Bounce Back Loan scams and fraudulent HMRC tax claims to hacking into UK bank accounts.
He also created “iChop.it,” a shady online service letting cybercriminals buy and sell stolen personal information and financial data.
By peddling these tools, he caused victims losses totalling nearly £2 million.
Police praise teamwork in cracking cybercrime case
Detective Constable Oyedeji, who led the probe, said: “Our success is down to close teamwork with partners like the CDA. It’s rewarding knowing we’ve protected thousands from fraudsters like Abubakarov.”
