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Conman pretended to be mortgage adviser to defraud nurses of £100k

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  • 16/04/2019
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Conman pretended to be mortgage adviser to defraud nurses of £100k
A fraudster has been convicted of conning more than £100,000 from three nurses by pretending to be a mortgage adviser.

 

Johnson Umax told his victims he was a mortgage adviser and would be able to buy a house for them, but never fulfilled his promise or returned their deposit money.

The married 32-year-old from Chelmsford built romantic relationships with two of the victims, even telling one they would move in together in the property.

Each of his victims had loaned him money, believing he would use it to help them get a mortgage. However, it appears that the victims have lost all the cash Umax took.

Essex Police confirmed to Mortgage Solutions that he had no assets to seize and therefore no Proceeds of Crime hearing will take place.

 

Relationship lies

Umax started a relationship with the first victim in February 2013 after they met through an online dating site.

When she told him she wanted to buy a house, he claimed he had a mortgage company and she agreed to give him a deposit, eventually taking a total of £30,000.

He met the second victim in November 2013 and they later began a relationship.

When she told him she wanted to buy a property, he claimed he would buy a house for her and sell it at auction for a profit, then use the money to buy another house for them to live in together.

Umax also convinced her to finance a car for him.

However, the victim then discovered that, alongside taking the money from her and not buying a house at auction as promised, he was also married.

Umax promised to repay the £40,054 he had taken from her but never did.

Before discovering his deception, the second victim had recommended Umax to one of her colleagues, who was also looking to get a mortgage.

He took more than £40,000 from her between July 2014 and August 2015, but never repaid it and lied that he had bought a property on her behalf.

 

‘Confidence trickster’

When interviewed by police, Umax claimed he had not obtained the money fraudulently, but that he had been in relationships with the three victims and they had offered to help him financially because he was in debt.

But the court heard this was not true, and he was never in a relationship with the third victim.

As a result he was convicted of three counts of fraud by false representation yesterday following a two-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, and was remanded in custody before sentencing on 24 May.

Detective Constable Chris Sedgwick, of Braintree, CID, said Umax was a confidence trickster and fraudster who manipulated his victims with promises and lies.

“He claimed he could help them get a mortgage, but had no ability to do this, and he had no regard for their personal circumstances,” he said.

“He lied and cheated in a calculated way to extract as much money from his victims, all of whom are hard-working nurses.

“He has shown no remorse for stealing their entire savings and putting them into further debt.

“Hopefully this conviction will show him and others that if you commit crime we will continue to pursue you to get justice for the victims,” he added.

 

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