A gang who ran a counterfeit ID factory and used the fake documents to carry out a £1 million online fraud have been jailed.

Blackfriars Crown Court heard on Friday the scam involved hundreds of fake adverts for non-existent goods and services being placed on legitimate classifieds websites, such as eBay.

Over a hundred bank accounts were set up at high street banks to receive money from the fraud.

These accounts were set up using counterfeit EU national ID cards, passports and utility bills produced by Dragoz Dragomir, 34, of Southmead Crescent in Cheshunt.

Mihai Cirstoiu, 37, of Ray Lodge Road in Woodford, masterminded the scam and recruited homeless George Cerneanu, 25, and Georgian Stanciu, 27, of Onslow Gardens, Woodford, as “foot soldiers”.

Cerneanu and Stanciu were issued with Dragomir’s fake IDs by Cirstoiu and sent to towns all over the UK including Birmingham, Liverpool and Ipswich to open bank accounts and ‘cash out’ fraudulent monies.

Dragomir, a Romanian national, was arrested in June 2017, and was found to be wanted under a European Arrest Warrant issued in Romania for fraud convictions in 2007.

Dragomir was living under the false name of Andrei Bernath and renting office space in Great Cambridge Road, Enfield.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Fake IDs uncovered at Dragomir's forgery factory by officers

Police searched the premises and uncovered a fake ID factory with multiple printers and computers set up to mass-produce fake identification documents.

Sample ID cards used to advertise his services were also found, including an of a mocked up UK driving license bearing the image of former British Prime Minster, David Cameron.

A further gang member, Maria Bilici, 33 of Hunters Ride, Bricket Wood, was also found guilty of laundering the proceeds of the fraud.

She had been trying to sell assets including her house and Range Rover as she planned to escape the UK, but was arrested in July 2017 before she could make a getaway.

Cerneanu was arrested attempting to withdraw money from an account held at Santander in Liverpool in June 2017. Stanciu was arrested at his home address the following month.

On Friday, the gang were sentenced to a total of 22-and-a-half years in jail after being convicted of a string of fraud and money laundering charges.

Dragomir was jailed for seven-and-a-half years, Cirstoiu was sentenced to six years behind bars, Stanciu and Cerneanu were both jailed for two-and-a-half years, while Bilici received a four-year sentence.

DC Chris Collins from Met’s FALCON, fraud unit, said: “I am pleased with today’s sentencing.

“Members of an organised criminal network that ran a sophisticated scam defrauding hundreds of victims have been imprisoned for a significant period.”

“Dragomir was an enabler of serious crime whose products are likely to have helped others net millions of pounds from fraud and evade immigration control.

“I am sure the arrest of Dragomir has helped to disrupt other criminal networks.”

  • Police have also issued a European Arrest Warrant for Sebastian Dumitru Ilie, 32, a Romanian-born UK citizen, in connection with the fraud. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on: 0800 555 111