Choudhary, nicknamed 'Fizzy', scammed 750 customers out of a total of $224 million. Photo / Supplied
Choudhary, nicknamed 'Fizzy', scammed 750 customers out of a total of $224 million. Photo / Supplied
At the height of his racket, Feezan Hameed Choudhary was pulling in a staggering $2.8 million each month as the ringleader of the UK's biggest-ever cyber scam.
Choudhary's infamous "vishing" fraud — which ended up scheming 750 British bank customers out of a combined $210 million — was carried outthanks to the 28-year-old's uncanny knack for nailing various accents.
During the scam, he phoned innocent customers posing as a bank official, putting on Scottish, Welsh and upper-class English accents and convincing them to hand over personal details, which allowed him to drain their accounts, reports news.com.au.
But in September 2016, it all came to an end after the Glasgow-based crook was sentenced to 11 years behind bars after owning up to conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to launder money.
However, Choudhary — also known as "Fizzy" or "The Voice" thanks to his impersonation skills — is now back before the courts for a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Feezan Hameed Choudhary, 28 (police mugshot pictured) was jailed in 2016 for 11 years for money laundering. Photo / Supplied
It has revealed fresh details of Choudhary's incredible spending sprees — including a multimillion-dollar bill at up-market department store Harrods, celebrity parties and luxurious holidays to exotic locations, including Dubai.
According to The Sun, Mr Choudhary was a luxury car fanatic, snapping up Bentleys, Lamborghinis and Porsche Cayennes.
He kept his fleet in Pakistan, where the rest of his family lived, and would fly professional car polishers from Scotland to keep his cars in pristine condition.
Prosecutor Edward Franklin told authorities Choudhary transferred cash to bank accounts in Lahore, Pakistan, and he owned an opulent villa in the city, complete with live-in staff.
"It had a jacuzzi with a basement spa," Metro reported Mr Franklin as saying.
"He said his family lived in it, that they employed servants and chefs."
Meanwhile, Choudhary claimed his family now lived in a two-bedroom dwelling that cost just $355 a month in rent.
Choudhary, nicknamed 'The Voice' by police over his telephone scam is pictured posed up with a tiger in the desert. Photo / Supplied
"The defendant cannot be right when he says he has nothing overseas," Mr Franklin said.
Part of the case against Choudhary depends on evidence provided by fellow convicted conman Muhammad Azhar who claimed the ringleader was personally raking in up to $2.79 million every month during the scam.
Azhar also claimed his boss splashed "around £3 million ($NZ5.9 million)" in spending sprees at Harrods, and he would convince other people to buy luxury goods including Rolex watches for him.
He allegedly also used his cash to produce a music clip for Pakistani pop star Bilal Saeed who later performed at his engagement party.
Mr Franklin said "Fizzy" benefited around £19 million ($NZ 37.6 million) from his crimes after taking into account expenditure.
"Of that £19 million we conclude that £14.8 ($NZ29.3) million is recoverable," he said.
"The defendant liked to conceal that he owned any property by getting other people to purchase it.
"It is for the defendant to prove that he does not, and if he cannot prove that he does not, it is for the defendant to pay the consequences," the Daily Mail reported Mr Franklin as saying.
