Three brothers jailed for credit card factory

Three brothers have been jailed for a total of 12 years for making fake credit and debit cards.

The three pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to conspiracy to defraud.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's specialist card fraud squad were searching an office space in Brent and found evidence that the room was being used as a credit card factory. During the search, one of the brothers, Mahmoud Charmaga, entered the building. He was arrested and his home searched. This uncovered a laptop and documents with fake card details in his brother's room.

At the office, police found a laptop with credit and debit card details on it, a card reader/writer, card skimmers for recording magnetic strips, fake ATM fronts and keypads for stealing PINs and an embossing press for making the cards. Officers also found 600 counterfeit cards and white plastic cards ready to be faked.

Police discovered the Brent office was rented in a false name by another brother, Ahmed Charmaga, who was serving a two year sentence on the Isle of Wight for similar offences.

The cards were used to buy designer clothes and aftershaves and to withdraw large amounts of cash from ATMs in the UK and abroad.

Ahmed Charmaga, 25, of Seacole Close, Acton got four years and six months, to run consecutively with his two year sentence. Mahmoud Charmaga, 23, of Seacole Close, Acton got five years and Mohammed Charmaga, 28, also of Seacole Close, Acton was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.

Detective Constable Keith Harrington from the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit said the investigation was a credit to the information shared between partner agencies. ®