Two men convicted after victims targeted in money transfer fraud

Two men have pleaded guilty after a Met Police investigation uncovered a series of frauds in which victims were persuaded to hand over more than £5,000 in cash after being shown a fake online bank transfer.

Patrick Mongan, 24 (22.11.2001) and James Maughan, 38 (18.07.1988), both of Hackney, were convicted for linked frauds committed against 10 victims across London between November 2025 and March 2026.

The investigation by the Met's fraud team found that victims, who were predominantly young adult males, including several students, were approached while alone by a man claiming to be visiting the capital from Ireland who had lost his wallet and was unable to access his money.

Both men would offer to transfer money into the victim's bank account after being given cash, asking them to enter their bank details into what appeared to be a legitimate mobile banking application on the suspect's phone.

They were then shown what appeared to be confirmation that a transfer had been made and were told the money could take up to 24 hours to arrive because it was an international transfer. In reality, no money had been transferred.

Believing the transaction to be genuine, victims withdrew cash from their own accounts and handed it to the suspect. In several cases, victims were subsequently blocked on the telephone number they had been given. The amount of money lost varied between individual, with the largest amount taken from a single victim being £1,000.

The offences took place across London, often near transport hubs and cash machines.

Detective Constable Ayshe Caluda, from the Met's Economic Crime team, said:

"These convictions show how fraudsters can use a convincing story and simple technology to trick people into handing over their money.

“However, through persistent investigative work, detectives were able to piece together the full picture and secure these convictions.

“Fraud has a significant impact on victims regardless of the amount taken, and we will continue to relentlessly pursue those who seek to exploit and deceive others for financial gain.

"We urge anyone approached in similar circumstances not to hand over cash until they have confirmed the money has reached their account and report suspicious activity to police."

On Wednesday, 16 September at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Mongan pleaded guilty to one count of theft and seven counts of fraud by false representation, while Maughan pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation.

One victim was approached near Waterloo Station in December 2025, while another was targeted at Stratford International Station in March this year after being told the suspect had lost his luggage and needed money to get to his hotel.

The victim was shown a screen displaying a successful transfer of euros before withdrawing £400 in cash.

The investigation linked both suspects to a number of offences through telephone evidence, forensic analysis and CCTV enquiries.

Detectives identified a number of similarities between the incidents, including the use of the same apparent banking application and a consistent method of approaching victims and persuading them that a transfer had been made, as well as through the mobile numbers given to victims.

Maughan was identified through forensic analysis conducted on a photograph taken by a victim.

The phone used to contact and scam two victims in his case was subsequently recovered from his home address, while enquiries established that the person who had most frequently contacted the number provided to victims was Maughan's wife.

Mongan provided two different telephone numbers to his victims, but detectives established both SIM cards had been used in the same handset through analysis of the device, while CCTV footage also linked him to the offences.

Mongan and Maughan will be sentenced in November 2026.