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Jailed Sri Lankan confesses blackmailed to clone 500 credit cards for LTTE
Thursday, 7 August 2008 - 9:13 PM SL Time
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work for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to clone 500 credit cards of British customers for the banned terrorist group to steal 175,000 British Pounds.
The Petrol station cashier Abdul Samad Mohamed Raik, a Sri Lankan national told a Leicestershire, England court, that due to a loan given to him by the terrorist group and due to his inability to pay back the loan he was forced to work for the terrorists and help them clone 500 credit cards of customers who bought petrol at the Jet Petrol station where he worked.
In his evidence to the court he said he was given a forged Indian passport by the LTTE to flee the country and escape the consequences of the case, but he did not.
In this case it was revealed that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam withdrew money using ATM machines amounting to 175,000 British Pounds from the accounts holders from various cities in the world in India, Malaysia, Canada, United States, and Australia to bank roll terrorism and war in Sri Lanka.
It was also revealed that the terrorist group using card accounts withdrew money and also bought various goods illegally for their cause.
Unsuspecting customers who bought fuel at the Jet service station, in Houghton-on-the-Hill, were unaware that cashier Abdul Samad Mohamed Raik used a cloning device when processing their card payments. The cloning device was similar to a pin hole camera. In Britain, credit cards cannot be used with a pin number for added protection. So, both the credit card number and the pin number had to be cloned for the crime.
His trusting employer also was not in the know that the scam was taking place, Leicester Crown Court was told.
When perturbed customers saw money had been withdrawn from their accounts from countries they had never visited and complained, Police launched a major investigation. The dozens of customer complaints said their cards had been used as far away as Australia and Malaysia, the Leicester Mercury, the local newspaper reported at the time.
Raik, a 33-year-old Sri-Lankan national of Gilbert Close, Rushey Mead, Leicester, was jailed for two years and nine months after pleading guilty to the fraud between October and December 2007. He also admitted possessing the false Indian passport.
Justin Wigoder, prosecuting the case, said Raik worked at the filling station for 13 months. The owner, the prosecutor said, was `completely unaware` of any problems until last December, when two customers contacted him saying records for cards used at his petrol station showed unusual foreign transactions.
The defendant was seen on Close Circuit Television swiping cards through a cloning machine so the details could be used all over the world. About 500 cards` details were obtained in total, the prosecutor said.
Raik left his job in December, but gave himself up to police in March 2008.
He claimed he became involved in the grand credit card fraud after running up a 3,000 debt with a loan shark who was part of the Sri-Lankan terrorist group, the Tamil Tigers, who had threatened him when he struggled to make payments following the birth of his daughter in 2007.
He also handed in a false Indian passport bearing bogus details and his photo, saying he was given it by the Tamil Tigers of the scam to help him flee the UK.
Raik was forced to dishonestly clone the cards, using a machine they gave him, to pay off the debt and for no personal gain, Raik added giving further evidence.
When customers began complaining, and the situation was getting hot he left the job.
Recorder Duncan Smith said: `It was a gross breach of trust to your employer, who is a businessman relying on the good faith of his staff and on the custom his customers bring him.
`One doesn`t know how badly his business will be affected or if some people will choose to go elsewhere for their petrol.
`Even though you had the wherewithal (the false passport) to spirit yourself away from the jurisdiction you handed yourself in to the police and made the investigation easier. You made a clean breast of what you`d done.
`It was a huge fraud and your involvement in it was brought to an end by yourself after a relatively short period of time.`
Immediately after the whole scam was exposed, The Leicester Mercury newspaper said that garage owner and mechanic Jim Funnell delivered letters to every household in the village apologising for the scam, and urging anyone who had been affected to contact police if they had not already done so.
Sympathetic villagers sent him cards and letters pledging their support.
In 1999, Raik applied for entry to the UK as a student, which was granted until October 2005.
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tigeress19
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 7 Aug 2008 14:18:30 GMT Report for Abuse
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Makaso
why do you want to clone 500 credits cards and take 175000 uk pounds to pay 3000 uk pounds to the ltte??
the rest to the kappam house aka the sinhala embassy in london??
Edited By - tigeress19 - 7 Aug 2008 14:25:18 GMT |
Berty
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 7 Aug 2008 14:19:24 GMT Report for Abuse
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Source(s)
Defence.lk
Submitted By: dinu23
No comments...! |
Berty
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7 Aug 2008 14:20:15 GMT Report for Abuse
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Tigress Thangatchi
why do you want to clone 500 credits cards and take 175000 to pay 3000 to the ltte??
JUST for LAUGHS.. |
tigeress19
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7 Aug 2008 14:22:32 GMT Report for Abuse
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Check this video,, posted by the BNP member (a british national party) says nothing about the ltte..
http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2008/8/31109_space.html |
tigeress19
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7 Aug 2008 14:26:14 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Berty anna JUST for LAUGHS..
:))
got cought when they lie too........:)) |
tigeress19
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7 Aug 2008 14:28:27 GMT Report for Abuse
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It seems like the sinhala only defenseless.com is far more credible source for British news than the British medias it self........
:)) hilarios,,
why defend when you have no connection whats so ever,,, |
MaKaSo
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 7 Aug 2008 14:31:03 GMT Report for Abuse
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Tiggy
why do you want to clone 500 credits cards and take 175000 to pay 3000 to the ltte??
he had to continue stealing, otherwise LTTE would kill him.
What happen if you stop funding LTTE now? |
Nightfox78
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7 Aug 2008 14:33:01 GMT Report for Abuse
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How does the 'Telegraph' sound!!.. :O)))) ..
Unless ofcourse the Daily Telegraph is also under the purview of the Sri Lankan Government!!.. :O)))
Petrol station cashier jailed for 'village of the scammed' fraud
By Laura Clout
Last Updated: 6:38AM BST 06 Aug 2008
Abdul Samad Mohamed Raik used a fake card reader to clone the bank cards of hundreds of locals and passing customers in the Leicestershire village of Houghton-on-the-Hill.
The details of more than 500 cards customers were used to steal a total of 175,000 pounds in a global fraud allegedly driven by links to a Sri Lankan guerrilla group.
Residents of the village were unaware of what had happened until learning from their banks that their accounts had been plundered in countries including Australia, India, Canada and the Philippines.
Raik, 33, claimed he became involved after running up a debt with a loan shark who was linked to the Sri Lankan guerrilla group the Tamil Tigers.
Raik, a Sri Lankan national, told police he was given the cloning equipment and ordered to use it to pay off what he owed - and more besides.
Justin Wigoder, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown court that the owner of Houghton Garage, Jim Funnell, was unaware of the scam, carried out between October and December last year.
Raik, of Rushey Mead, Leicester left his job when the scam was discovered and gave himself up to police in March.
He admitted obtaining property by deception and was jailed for two years and nine months.
Sentencing, Recorder Duncan Smith said: ''It was a gross breach of trust to your employer, who relies on the good faith of his staff and on the custom his customers bring him.
It was a huge fraud. One doesn't know how badly his business will be affected or if some people will choose to go elsewhere for their petrol.''
At the time, residents admitted they were amazed by the extent of the cloning, which affected almost every house in the village and led to them rechristening Houghton the ''village of the scammed''.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2508757/Petrol-station-cashier-jailed-for-village-of-the-scammed-fraud.html
Edited By - Nightfox78 - 7 Aug 2008 14:34:30 GMT |
tigeress19
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7 Aug 2008 14:33:51 GMT Report for Abuse
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PETROL STATION WORKER JAILED FOR CARD SCAM
BY SUZY GIBSON
COURT STAFF
10:30 - 05 August 2008
A petrol station worker cloned more than 500 customer bank cards in a 175,000 worldwide scam.
The card details were used to obtain goods and cash in countries, including India, Canada and America.
Unsuspecting customers who bought fuel at the Jet service station, in Houghton-on-the-Hill, had no idea cashier Abdul Samad Mohamed Raik used a cloning device when processing their card payments.
His trusting employer also had no idea the scam was taking place, Leicester Crown Court was told.
Police launched a major investigation after dozens of customers complained their cards had been used as far away as Australia and Malaysia, the Leicester Mercury reported at the time.
Raik, a 33-year-old Sri-Lankan national of Gilbert Close, Rushey Mead, Leicester, was jailed for two years and nine months after pleading guilty to the fraud between October and December last year. He also admitted possessing a false Indian passport.
Justin Wigoder, prosecuting, said Raik worked at the filling station for 13 months.
He said the owner was 'completely unaware' of any problems until last December, when two customers contacted him saying records for cards used at his petrol station showed unusual foreign transactions.
The defendant was seen on CCTV swiping cards through a cloning machine so the details could be used all over the world. About 500 cards' details were obtained in total.
Raik left his job in December, but gave himself up to police in March this year.
He claimed he became involved in the fraud after running up a 3,000 debt with a loan shark connected to Sri-Lankan guerrilla warfare group the Tamil Tigers, who had threatened him when he struggled to make payments following the birth of his daughter in 2007.
He also handed in a false Indian passport bearing bogus details and his photo, saying he was given it by the organisers of the scam to help him flee the UK.
Raik was forced to dishonestly clone the cards, using a machine they gave him, to pay off the debt and for no personal gain.
When customers began complaining, he left the job.
Recorder Duncan Smith said: 'It was a gross breach of trust to your employer, who is a businessman relying on the good faith of his staff and on the custom his customers bring him.
'One doesn't know how badly his business will be affected or if some people will choose to go elsewhere for their petrol.
'Even though you had the wherewithal (the false passport) to spirit yourself away from the jurisdiction you handed yourself in to the police and made the investigation easier. You made a clean breast of what you'd done.
'It was a huge fraud and your involvement in it was brought to an end by yourself after a relatively short period of time.'
The Leicester Mercury reported at the time that garage owner and mechanic Jim Funnell delivered letters to every household in the village apologising for the scam, and urging anyone who had been affected to contact police if they had not already done so.
Villagers sent him cards and letters pledging their support.
In 1999, Raik applied for entry to the UK as a student, which was granted until October 2005.
In August 2006, he applied to remain as a spouse of a Latvian national, although the application was withdrawn in May this year.
His immigration status is currently under review.
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