In a startling revelation, an asylum seeker, Saheed Azeez, who successfully claimed refugee status by asserting persecution based on his sexuality, has been accused of fathering three children with three different women and masterminding a £220,000 parcel fraud scheme. Azeez, 33, allegedly coordinated a network of individuals to receive parcels from online sellers, subsequently selling the products through his brother’s electrical shop in Wigan.
The scam, which operated between September 2020 and November 2021, involved convincing victims to send second-hand items, including smartphones and cameras, without receiving payment. A total of 272 victims lost £220,000 in the fraudulent scheme. Azeez, a former Yodel delivery driver, fled Nigeria and settled in the UK after claiming persecution by Boko Haram militants.
Police initiated an investigation after noticing an unusual volume of parcels sent to addresses linked to Azeez in north Manchester. The scheme involved duping sellers on platforms such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace, with Azeez playing a central role in orchestrating the fraud.
Azeez, who admitted to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and plotting to possess criminal property, is set to be sentenced next week and could face up to six years in jail. Nine individuals who allowed their addresses to be used in the scam will be sentenced next year.
In mitigation, Azeez’s defense counsel, Chloe Fordham, argued that he was a minor player pressured into the scam, having been exploited as a teenager. She highlighted his fear of deportation and emphasized his current identification as bisexual. Azeez’s sentencing will take place amid considerations of the impact on his parental responsibilities to his three children in the UK.
