An estate agent will be sentenced next month after pleading guilty to 76 fraud offences.
The Get Surrey website reports that Ayodele Oladuti, 29 - living in south Croydon but working at an agency in Epsom, Surrey - photographed bank cards on his phone and took bank statements and other documents as he visited clients' homes. He then committed identity theft by taking out bank accounts and contracts in their names.
He also used the false identity to buy clothing and electrical goods online and in shops.
The website says that in total he defrauded, or attempted to defraud, 20 victims of a total of £25,298.66 although he was successful in obtaining only just over £6,000.
Oladuti - who is also reported to have faked references and qualifications - was caught when a suspicious client recorded CCTV footage of him removing a jewellery box from a cupboard, and detectives looked further into his background.
In court earlier this week Oladuti admitted seven counts of fraud and asked for a further 69 offences to be taken into consideration.
He has been remanded and will be sentenced on April 7.
You can see the full report on the court case here.
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And our industry is capable of self regulation, seriously!
Many people think that's the way forward. Luckily, many more don't, including all the sensible ones.
Regulation should not be seen as a dirty word, if implemented properly and sparingly. If we didn't have regulations in place, it's a free for all. Self-regulation very rarely, if ever, works, but that won't stop people with vested interests calling for it.
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