A 69 year-old woman who preyed on a couple seeking help with their immigration status, has been given a 19 month prison sentence for fraud.
Mrs Zabun Nissa of Herrick Road, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud, contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Fraud Act 2006 at Birmingham Crown Court in November 2020. On her return to the court on 3 February she was given details of her sentence.
Mrs Nissa befriended the couple , and claimed to work at Birmingham Airport’s immigration department. Using this false position to gain their trust she charged the victims £8,450 for immigration work that was never carried out. This included help in obtaining British Citizenship; employment within the immigration department at Birmingham Airport; and visas for other family members to come to the UK and work.
Judge Mukherjee said, “This offending was very mean and very serious. You preyed on a couple who found themselves in a difficult position. You established trust in them – your word in the Pre-Sentencing Report is that you ‘targeted’ them. They called you ‘auntie’. You know how important a title that is. You lied to them from the outset. This was a planned fraud for financial gain.
“It was prolonged, persistent and planned.”
Mrs Nissa was previously convicted of similar offences in 2008.
The judge added, “This offending is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified.”
Speaking about the case, Immigration Services Commissioner John Tuckett said:
“Zabun Nissa allowed people to put their trust and future in her. She took a considerable sum of money from her victims and then avoided them over a significant period of time. These were serious offences, given the circumstances and the amount of money involved, and demonstrates the harm that can be caused by unregulated immigration advisers.”
Notes to the Editor
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The OISC is an independent public body, established under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, to regulate the provision of immigration advice and services in the UK.
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Media queries to Cornelius Alexander, Corporate Communications Business Partner at the OISC via communications@oisc.gov.uk.
