A scammer posing as a car seller was jailed today (July 16, 2021) for cheating on over 200 unsuspecting car buyers of more than a million pounds.
Ravinder Singh Randhawa, 30, was sentenced to nine years in prison in Exeter Crown Court for 22 fraud and one money laundering offense.
Randhawa was the leader in fake car sales, posing as a legitimate seller to convince his victims to pay large sums of money for used cars. Often times he would sell the same vehicle more than once and the victims received nothing because he pocketed their money. Some victims drove miles to pick up their new car only to find that the workshop they bought the vehicle from did not exist.
Those who helped Randhawa launder his ill-gotten gains, Atif Shariff, 30 and Jason Gilbert, 55, were sentenced to 20 months in prison and 27 months in prison, respectively, for their involvement in the fraud operation.
Rolex watch purchased from Ranhawa with ill-gotten gains from counterfeit auto sales fraud
Sarah Melo of the CPS said, “Randhawa is a prolific serial offender who engages with trusted members of the public who simply want to buy used cars. His crimes were subtle. He often used identities obtained from previous victims, hijacked the identities from workshops and real vehicles that were offered for sale so that his victims would be unaware of his betrayal.
“Hundreds of people have suffered and lost money from Randhawa that they could not afford. His crimes have profoundly affected so many of their lives. Many described the severe effects it had on their mental and physical health, family relationships, and overall financial stability. For many of his victims, this happened at a time when their lives were badly affected by the pandemic.
“Randhawa showed no remorse for his actions. He often laughed at his victims and piqued them with offensive messages as soon as they discovered they were victims of his betrayal. He boasted to a victim who threatened to call the police that he had been doing it for years and that the police would not do anything about it.
“He was wrong. The CPS and the Devonshire and Cornwall Police have worked together effectively to bring this perpetrator to justice quickly. “
The CPS is now working to recover as much of the stolen money as possible from Randhawa and his accomplices in order to deprive them of their criminal advantages and to return the money to their rightful owners.
The CPS strives to work with law enforcement partners to bring fraudsters to justice.
If you are a victim of this type of crime, please contact Action Fraud.
Notes for editors
- Sarah Melo is a specialist lawyer in the CPS Specialist Fraud Division
- Ravinder Singh Randhawa (born 9/13/1990) was sentenced to nine years in prison on July 16, 2021 in Exeter Crown Court
- This case was followed up by the CPS’s Anti-Fraud Division, a dedicated law enforcement team that deals with the most serious, complex and difficult cases of white-collar crime, including corruption and money laundering.
