A bogus landlord who duped five families out of large sums in a “cruel” rental scam has been sentenced.

Gullriaz Tajpuri, 49, used Facebook Marketplace to fraudulently advertise two properties for rent in Nottingham that he did not own. He then received money in the form of deposits from five victims of the fraud – totalling £3,130.

Nottingham Crown Court heard all five victims agreed to rent a three-bedroom property from Tajpuri after he provided them with a virtual tour in 2021. Four paid him a £695 deposit, while the fifth victim parted with £350.

An investigation was launched after one of the victims, a mum in her 30s, reported the scam to Nottinghamshire Police. The woman told detectives she had planned to move into the property in time for Christmas with her partner and young daughter and that the scam had left her feeling “depressed.”

In a statement to the court, she said: “Before Christmas 2021, our daughter was so looking forward to moving into the new home. However I had to tell her there was no new home. All our friends and relatives were asking if we had moved into the new property yet. It felt embarrassing.”

The second victim, a man in his 40s, told the court he and his wife were left homeless as a result of the “cruel” scam and had to borrow money to buy a trailer tent to live in.

The third victim said she’d been dealing with a divorce around the time she was duped by Tajpuri, who blocked her phone number when she chased him for a moving in date. She told the court it’d been an “awful” experience.

The fourth victims were a married couple who also had to borrow money to get by after losing £695 to the scam. Meanwhile, the fifth victim told the court she and her husband felt “disgusted” by Tajpuri’s cruelty after losing £350.

Tajpuri, of Nottingham, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation in relation to the two properties he fraudulently advertised and the money he took from five victims. He was sentenced to 13 months in jail suspended for 18 months when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday (25 September).

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Harminder Rai-Mottram, who led the investigation, said: “Tajpuri is a callous fraudster who inflicted financial hardship and enormous misery to a number of families in the lead up to Christmas. His crimes took place during the Covid pandemic, causing the victims to endure additional distress during an already turbulent time.

“This sentence sends a strong message that fraud does not go unpunished and I hope Tajpuri now uses this opportunity to change the direction of his life.

“I also want to take this opportunity to encourage people to be wary of scams taking place through Facebook Marketplace and other online platforms. The property rental market is currently very competitive, and potential tenants may be fooled into thinking that paying a deposit will help them secure a property.

This is not the case and I’d urge anyone who sees a property advertised online to view the address in person before parting with any money.”