Door Supervisor prosecuted for attempted fraud, by falsely claiming compensation from the SIA

August 21, 2017

On 11 August 2017, at Bristol Magistrates Court, we prosecuted Zakir Mohammed Zillul for attempting to claim £1673 in compensation for alleged lost travel documents.

In August 2016, Zillul submitted an application to the SIA for a Door Supervision Licence. In support of this application, and to verify his identity, he sent his passport to us.

On Friday 16 September 2016, Zillul contacted us say that he was due to travel abroad on 21 September and needed his passport to be returned as soon as possible. We returned Zillul’s passport via Royal Mail Special Delivery on 20 September to arrive by 1 pm the next day. However, due to a delay by Royal Mail, the passport was not delivered on 21 September. Zillul claimed that as a result of the late return of his passport he could not travel as he had arranged.

On 26 September 2016, Zillul contacted us to make a claim for £1673, which was the cost of his apparent flights. We agreed to consider a compensation or reimbursement claim if Zillul could produce evidence of the missed flights, including proof of payment. This would be reviewed alongside the circumstances of the return of Zillul’s passport.

In October 2016, following a successful application, Zillul was issued with a Door Supervisor licence.

Zillul emailed us in October 2016 with evidence of the cost of the travel, and a document purporting to be an itinerary/invoice from a travel agent showing the alleged cost of the flights. In addition, he provided evidence to us, showing cash withdrawals from his bank account which he claimed were made to pay for the holiday.

We believed that the documentation provided was false, so an investigation was carried out by their Criminal Investigation Team. They discovered that Zillul had not made any such travel booking. Instead he had asked a travel agent to produce an invoice and itinerary. He used the excuse that he needed to make a claim from his travel insurance company, but had lost the relevant paperwork.

When interviewed, Zillul said that a cousin was responsible for making the claim for compensation in his name. He claimed that this cousin had access and online control of Zillul’s bank account and email, and implied that his cousin was corresponding to us in his name.

Zillul added that his cousin was involved in a relationship with the travel agent who had provided the alleged invoice. The travel agent denied this, and stated that she did not know the person named as Zillul’s cousin. She did, however, admit to knowing Zillul, and to falsely producing an invoice itinerary for what she thought was a claim against Zillul’s travel insurance. The travel agent confirmed that no actual travel booking was made by Zillul.

Despite numerous attempts made by our investigators to identify Zillul’s cousin, he was not traced, nor did he make himself available for interview.

Zillul pleaded guilty to attempted fraud by false representation, and to having in his possession an article for use in fraud (the email purporting to be from the travel agent to support his claim for compensation).

The Court sentenced Zillul to 210 hours of unpaid community service, to be completed within a 12 months. Zillul was also ordered to pay £2046.30 prosecution costs and an £85 victim surcharge.

Nathan Salmon, SIA Criminal Investigation Manager, said;

“Zillul fraudulently tried to obtain compensation of £1673.00 from the SIA, when he clearly had no right to do so, He devised an elaborate plan involving the production and presentation of false documentary evidence to support his claim, using the misguided assistance of another person to facilitate the crime.

The SIA robustly regulates the security industry and will seek to prosecute those individuals who choose to commit criminal offences – either in their individual licence application, or when they are working as a licensed security operative”.