An investigation by Nottingham City Council Trading Standards into a fake car parts scam which duped motorists out of more than £200,000 has resulted in prison sentences for two men.
Nasir Abdulla, 35, of Aspley, and Sayed Mahmoud, aged 34, of Bobbers Mill, admitted selling counterfeit car parts at Nottingham Crown Court on 3 March.
The pair set up two companies in 2013 trading as ‘g-customz’ and ‘nf-designz’ which imported thousands of fake Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes parts from China.
These items were then advertised on Facebook as genuine parts and sold to unsuspecting consumers. Abdulla and Mahmoud made a substantial amount of money from the scam, netting £150,000 and £60,000 respectively.
The car companies involved made test purchases from g-customz and nf-designz after seeing the items being advertised and confirmed they were counterfeit before contacting Trading Standards, which began an in-depth investigation.
Abdulla and Mahmoud both pleaded guilty to the unauthorised use of trademarks between 2013 and 2018.
Abdulla was given an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered complete 200 hours of unpaid work. Mahmoud was handed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered carry out 120 hours’ unpaid work.
Councillor Neghat Khan, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Safety, said: “I commend Nottingham City Council Trading Standards for bringing these perpetrators to justice.
“This was a difficult and complicated investigation over a long period of time which has resulted in the companies being closed down. The sentences handed out by the judge reflect the serious nature of their offending and are fully deserved.”
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