Dodgy Croydon estate agent scammer strikes again to make £61k in insurance pay-outs

A dodgy estate agent who was jailed for identity theft has avoided another stretch after he used Covid to make false insurance claims. Dominic Ayo Williams, 37, of Brackley Road, Bromley, previously known as Ayodele Oladuti, from South Croydon, made 25 bogus travel and home insurance claims with two insurers, earning a tidy £61,380 in pay-outs over a period of 18 months.

Williams pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court in November 2023 to 16 charges of fraud by false representation and one charge of using a false instrument with intent. He was sentenced to two years suspended for 18 months at Inner London Crown Court on Monday (February 3) and handed a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO).

The SCPO means that Williams will be subject to a number of restrictions, including limitations on the number of phones and computers that Williams can own. He must also notify City of London Police each time he opens a bank account or takes out an insurance policy. Breach of a SCPO is a criminal offence punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

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Detective Constable Dan Weller said Williams 'took advantage' of Covid travel disruption 'systematically' making bogus insurance claims so he could pocket tens of thousands of pounds that he wasn’t entitled to. "After an insurer became suspicious of one of the claims, Williams had the audacity to apologise for lying and then send it forged documents the next day," added DC Weller.

AXA's fraud team suspected Williams made eight fraudulent claims between September 2020 and May 2021 worth nearly £25,000. In each one he claimed the accommodation provider could no longer host him due to Covid or he had to cancel his holiday due to travel restrictions. AXA referred the case to police after discovering he forged documents to substantiate his lies.

By snooping on his bank account, police were able to prove Williams had not booked any of the flights or hotels he had claimed. He was arrested in November 2021 and initially answered 'No comment' before going on to make a full admission. Police later received another referral from Aviva for nearly £37,000, including claims about a lost Louis Vuitton bag, iPhone, Rolex, and AirPods.

Aviva was suspicious about the claims and found Williams had been sentenced for two years in prison in 2017, under the name Ayodele Oladuti, after admitting seven counts of fraud. Working as an estate agent, he would photograph clients' bank cards while showing buyers around, create fake bank accounts and phone contracts, then return to the homes to collect the new bank cards and mobile phones, reports Surrey Live.

Confronted with this, Williams claimed the 2017 case related to his brother, then called back to say he had been convicted but it was overturned. The next day he sent a forged letter about the appeal being upheld. Police interviewed Williams a second time in November 2022, where he admitted lying and forging documents again.

Carl Mather, Aviva Special Investigations Manager, said: “Dominic Williams exploited the Covid-19 pandemic to submit fraudulent travel claims and used falsified court documents to facilitate a bogus claim against a home insurance policy. The sentence reflects the cynical and audacious nature of his offending, and he now has time to reflect on his actions.

“Aviva will continue to invest heavily in our counter fraud capabilities and seek to pursue sanctions against fraudsters who operate at every level. Genuine customers are front and centre of our business decisions and mitigating the impact of fraud on policy premiums is a priority for Aviva.”

Got a tip, a court date, or some gossip? Please email callum.cuddeford@reachplc.com or WhatsApp 07580255582.

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