Convicted: Sotiris Charalambous and Christos Loizou
A couple who were conned out of £4,500 and left homeless in an online property fraud have had their money returned just in time for Christmas, following an investigation by Met Police FALCON officers.
The victims – a man and woman in their 20s – saw the property in Natal Road, N11 advertised for rent on Gumtree in June 2015.
They called the number advertised and spoke to a man purporting to be the landlord. The victims went to the property and met the ‘landlord’ on two occasions, paying a total of £4.500 for a deposit and one month’s rent in advance – all their combined savings.
On the agreed moving-in date on 8 July 2015, the couple went to the property and found that the locks had been changed and other tenants were living there. They were subsequently left homeless.
Officers from FALCON, the Met’s response to Fraud and Linked Crime Online, were informed and instigated an investigation.
Christos Loizou, 45 (10.03.71) of Leyton and Sotiris Charalambous, 47 (07.11.69), of Muswell Hill , N10 were quickly identified and arrested. In interview both denied fraud and money laundering and blamed each other.
Loizou was identified by detectives as the man pretending to be the landlord of the property and was charged with fraud. Charalambous who had previously been a tenant at the property was charged with fraud and money laundering. Both were charged in April 2016.
On 22 November 2016 after a week-long trial, both men were found guilty at Wood Green Crown Court and they were sentenced on Friday, 16 December.
Christos Loizou was found guilty of fraud by false representation and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
Sotiris Charalambous was found guilty of fraud by false representation and money laundering. He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for fraud by false representation, and six months for money laundering, to run concurrently, suspended for 18 months.
Detective Constable Paul Allgood, from FALCON, said: “The judge described this crime as a ‘thoroughly mean fraud’; the victims were left homeless and on the streets after having been conned into handing over all their savings. I’m pleased that just before Christmas they have now had their money handed back to them.”
The judge ordered Loizou and Charalambous to repay £4,500 to the victims, plus £2,000 costs (£1,000 each) and an £80 victim surcharge. The £4,500 has already been repaid to the victims who thanked police saying “That’s great news.”