TEN VICTIMS of a money transfer scam saw justice done on 16th September when two men from Hackney were convicted for fraud. The criminals took £5,000 from the tricks they played on their victims.
Patrick Mongan, 24, and James Maughan, 38, appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court. Mongan pleaded guilty to one count of theft and seven counts of fraud by false representation. Maughan pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation.
Their crimes were committed in various parts of London – including, in one case, Stratford International station – between November 2025 and March 2026. Most were targeted at young men, including several students, who were alone at the time.
Mongan or Maughan would approach their chosen victim and say that they were from Ireland and were visiting London. They would say that they had lost their wallet and could not access their money. They would then ask the victim if they could withdraw some cash from their own bank and hand it over – on the basis that the fraudster would transfer money into the victim’s bank account.
The fraudsters would then show the victim what appeared to be a mobile banking app which showed that the money transfer had taken place. They would warn the victim that the money may take up to 24 hours to show up in their account because it was an international transfer. The app was a fake, and no money had actually been transferred. The fraudsters gave the victims a phone number to contact them on – but if the victim tried to phone the fraudster to tell them the money was not through yet, they found they had been blocked.
The crimes were investigated by the Metropolitan Police fraud team, which linked the crimes together because of the similarities between them. They then used telephone and CCTV evidence, as well as forensic analysis.
Detective Constable Ayshe Caluda, from the Metropolitan Police Economic Crime team, warned the public of the dangers of fraud. “These convictions show how fraudsters can use a convincing story and simple technology to trick people into handing over their money,” he said.
“However, through persistent investigative work, detectives were able to piece together the full picture and secure these convictions. We urge anyone approached in similar circumstances not to hand over cash until they have confirmed the money has reached their account and report suspicious activity to police.”
The two will return to Court in November for sentencing.
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