Pensioner swindled out of £340K by fraudster who wanted ‘to live Premier League lifestyle’

A pensioner was tricked into handing over £340,000 to a semi-professional footballer turned fraudster who wanted to live a “Premier League lifestyle”.

Abdul Ibraheem, 36, used the money swindled from 84-year-old Alan Potter on first class flights, a stint living in a £3million mansion, and an £800 bonsai tree.

The 36-year-old also conned a letting agent out of another £100,000 – taking deceitful gains to £447,700.

Ibraheem convinced the 84-year-old to sign over his bank cards and give him more than £200,000, Potter had previously been the victim of a boiler room scam in 2022 and Ibraheem told him that he could recover the money for a fee.

This first began with a payment of £50,000, however this quickly grew to over £300,000, with the pensioner being left on “the verge of possible bankruptcy” and fearing that he may need to sell his home.

Ibraheem spent the fraudulent money on a number of high-end goods, including a £14,000 piano, a £3,000 marble kitchen, and a limited edition Banksy print.

He also took his family on a luxury holiday to Greece, flew first class to Ibiza and joined a private members club before police clocked on and raided his home.

Ibraheem claimed to be a semi-professional footballer and coach on the books of Chelsea FC.

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The 36-year-old admitted to nine charges with another two left on file at Lewes Crown Court in Brighton and was jailed for more than five years in March of this year.

However, a proceeds of crime hearing has now been told that only £34,651 has been recovered from Ibraheem to pay back Potter and the letting agent.

Judge Mark Van Der Zwart told Ibraheem at a hearing in Hove: “From the available amount, compensation has to be made from the confiscated money.”

In his victim impact statement, Potter said: “I found him persuasive and believable in everything he said.

“When the full realisation of his activities and the lifestyle he was living on my money fully came home to me, I was embarrassed.”

Nicholas Mather for the Crown said that the 36-year-old exploited vulnerable people by stealing from them in a professional manner.

“Knowing Mr Potter had previously been the victim of fraud, the defendant used the money extracted from Mr Potter to fund his own lavish lifestyle. He benefited substantially from his fraudulent conduct.”

Mather added: “He was not taking money to give to others. He was benefiting and living a luxury lifestyle due to his fraudulent activity.”