Salon owner accused of running bogus games consoles website

A salon owner has been accused of running a bogus website selling games consoles and pocketing around £4300 in cash.

Razia Ahmad denies owning the digicartprime.co.uk page from her business premises in Glasgow’s Maryhill in November 2017.

Prosecutors claim the 59-year-old advertised the consoles for sale and instructed potential buyers to transfer cash to her business bank account.

The charge states Ahmad is the sole signatory of the account and that she promised to post the consoles to the buyers.

It is alleged Ahmad knew she did not have the gaming consoles and none were received by the buyers.

On Tuesday, Ahmad pled not guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to the single charge of fraud.

The court heard Ahmed, of the city’s Shawlands, opened the business account for Bling Hair and Beauty in 2012.

Prosecutor Lauren Sangray told Sheriff Joseph Platt in her closing submission: “The website was established so that an individual would go on the internet and purchase games consoles.

“The sum of the games consoles were transferred to a TSB Bank account.

“There was a connection between the bank account that the victims in this case transferred funds to and Ahmad.”The bank account belonged to her and in evidence she said she was the sole signatory as well as the only person who had access to it.

“Her version of events is incredible and unreliable.

“She said she had no idea of how much money was going in her salon per month and how many clients were attending on a weekly basis which was between 60 and 70.”

Ms Sangray added Ahmad claimed she had “no knowledge” about additional money put into the bank account.

Billy Lavelle, defending, stated that Ahmad had gone to the bank when irregularities in her account were noticed.

It was also alleged that money was taken from the bank account in real time when she went to visit the bank.

The lawyer added: “This was a sophisticated fraud and a lot of thought was put into it.

“The operation seems to be formed in Norfolk and leads to someone in Glasgow’s bank and sort code details.

“This bank account was a long-standing business account – it wasn’t just made up.

“There was nothing suspicious in this account which is a legitimate business account set up five years before.

“This is a business which deals in mostly cash and here you have a sophisticated operation which leads to the first victim.

“For Miss Ahmad, this doesn’t make any sense as she went to the bank as she didn’t know what was going on.

“Someone has used this woman and has let her take the burden for it.”

Sheriff Platt set a verdict date for the end of the month and bailed Ahmad meantime.