TWO serial fraudsters who swindled more than £88,000 from scores of vulnerable people have been jailed.

Rahim Choudhury and Abdul Shafee, both 19, of Quaker Street, London, were given the jail terms at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday of 38 months and 15 months, respectively after targeting people across the south west, including Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

In January this year, Rahim Choudhury admitted to conspiracy to commit fraud offences, where 30 victims were defrauded out of a total of £88,500.

On January 29 this year Abdul Shafee also admitted conspiracy to commit fraud offences. The prosecution attributed two offender phones to him, which had been used to call 13 victims of courier fraud.

Detective Inspector Tony Hubbard, working for Zephyr, the South West’s Regional Organised Crime Unit, said that the two criminals had used the scams to fund a cash rich lifestyle and showed no remorse.

He added: “We can see from evidence recovered how they identified vulnerable victims and portrayed their own arrogance and extravagant lifestyle, obtained from the misery and loss of others.

“Photographs found on their mobile phones including several expensive cars and watches, and bundles of cash, which showed the kind of lifestyle they were living.

“We welcome the custodial sentences imposed against them and hope this sends a clear message to others to stop now similar crimes or face legal action and the prospect of a term in prison.

Fraudsters like these two often claim to be officers from the Metropolitan Police and suggest that a victim's bank card has been used by somebody that they have in custody.

They then ask the victim to phone the bank to cancel the card and tell the victims’ that they will send a courier round to collect the card or money.

Meanwhile the fraudster stays on the line and obtains the victim's bank details whilst the victim believes they are phoning their bank.

The courier, which is often a legitimate taxi requested by the fraudsters, then calls at the victim's address and collects an envelope containing the card or cash requested.

There are occasions where high value goods such as jewellery or electrical items have been collected by the courier, which the victim has, by direction of the offenders.

Police are urging residents to look out for these kinds of fraudsters and to warn friends and relatives about the potential for scammers to target the vulnerable.

For more information on this kind of scam visit: http://bit.ly/19dPdLV

If you can identify anyone involved in this type of crime, or you have been a victim, call your local police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can also contact Action Fraud (National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre) on 0300 1232040.