Fraudster Caught Red-Handed After Off-Duty Cop’s Sharp Eye
Attaul Qayyum, 22, was sentenced to 15 months in jail for his role in a scam targeting cash machines across Ramsgate and Broadstairs.
Scam Busted in Ramsgate
On August 21, 2020, Kent Police were called to a suspicious cash machine on Grange Road after users reported their cards were being rejected. A keen-eyed member of the public spotted a hidden recording device inside a false panel on the machine, prompting police to check CCTV footage.
The footage showed two men tampering with the ATM — one keeping watch while the other installed the device.
Off-Duty Officer’s Quick Thinking Seals Fate
Later that evening, an off-duty police officer recognised two suspects from the CCTV footage while they were loitering in the same area with a third man. She called 911 and tailed their vehicle to a roundabout at St Nicholas-at-Wade on Thanet Way. Her team swiftly stopped the car and arrested all three men. Qayyum was behind the wheel.
Evidence Links Them to Another Scam
Further investigation uncovered a similar scam earlier that day in Broadstairs High Street. Police found a lost bank card linked to the fraud inside the suspects’ vehicle, along with other incriminating items.
Justice Served
The two other men had already pled guilty and were locked up for nine and seven months in October 2020. Now Qayyum joins them behind bars.
“Qayyum and his associates were looking to defraud members of the public, who would have suffered financial difficulties and heartache,” said PC Ellen Green of Kent Police.
“I’d like to commend the members of the public who noticed the devices on the cash machine, and the off-duty officer who followed the suspects.”
“If you spot suspicious activity at cash machines or think you’ve been targeted, report it immediately so we can catch the offenders.”
