An iPhone fraudster caught with more than 50 counterfeit handsets at his home address has been jailed for two years and five months.

Mirza Kamran, 37, of Benson Avenue, London, scammed businesses out of thousands of pounds by buying genuine iPhones from them before claiming refunds in exchange for authentic-looking fakes.

His offending caught up with him following an incident at an Argos store in Aylesford that resulted in an investigation by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate who arranged for a search of his home.

Inside they discovered 53 counterfeit iPhones, 48 genuine ones and 236 empty iPhone boxes. It was later established that 33 of the 48 genuine iPhones had been reported lost or stolen, and that one business in particular had attributed a loss of £43,410 to the offences committed against them by Kamran.

Kamran was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 6 July 2018 after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation, possessing an article for use in fraud, and possessing criminal property.

The court heard how on Wednesday 27 September 2017 Kamran bought an iPhone from the Argos at Sainsbury’s on the Quarry Road Industrial Estate, Aylesford. The cashier believed he was acting suspiciously and so took a photograph of the serial number printed on the box before completing the transaction.

Kamran left the store but returned minutes later and asked for a refund, claiming the person he was buying it for wanted the phone in a different colour.

The cashier alerted a security guard when she noticed the serial number was different but they were unable to prevent Kamran leaving the store and driving away. However, the registration number of his silver Honda Civic was noted down and passed onto the police.

An investigation was launched and on April 24 officers carried out a search of his home in East Ham, London. In addition to the fake and genuine handsets, officers also found five counterfeit Apple Watches and numerous receipts and invoices related to the purchase of iPhones.

The fake handsets actually contained nothing more than metal plates.

Kamran was not present during the search but was arrested at Heathrow Airport two days later after returning from a trip to Pakistan.

Detective Inspector Annie Clayton said: “Mirza Kamran committed fraud offences on a commercial scale and was responsible for cheating businesses out of tens of thousands of pounds in lost revenue.

“The strength of the evidence obtained by my officers during the investigation meant he had little choice but to plead guilty to the charges brought against him. There is no reasonable explanation as to why he would have 53 counterfeit phones in his possession.

“I hope this serves as a warning to other would-be fraudsters that no matter how smart you may think you are, the law will always catch up with you in the end.”