Three bogus lettings agents have been sentenced for conning prospective tenants out of tens have thousands of pounds.
Adam Coote, 36, was jailed for 28 months at Southwark Crown Court, while Andrew Rickard, 51, was received an 18 month term.
Sahila Kauser, 34, was also sentenced at Southwark and got an 18 month sentence suspended for two years, with 140 hours unpaid work and a 12 month supervision order.
All three were sentenced for conspiracy to commit fraud.
Coote had previously served a sentence of four years for fraud after orchestrating a similar scam, and it is believed that he met Andrew Rickard in prison, where they hatched the plan.
The trio used false aliases and made up business names to convince unwitting landlords and tenants that they were running a legitimate enterprise, before taking large deposits and never returning them.
The nationwide scam saw victims shown around properties before being told that a credit check was required before they could move in.
Potential tenants were then told that they had failed and were asked for six-months of rent in advance.
In some cases tenants gained access to the properties, but the money was not passed on to the landlords; while renters were also told that their utility bills were covered, but in actual fact these were not being paid.
Coote used the names Jordan Lawson, Elliot Portman and Lewis Goldman to conceal his identity, while Kauser posed as Jasmine Khan, Zara Khan and Zara Kauser, and Rickard used the names Andrew Rommel and Joshua Benson.
Coote changed his name via deed poll on a number of occasions, going from Adam Coote to Elliot Joshua Wilson in 2006, then becoming Elliot Portman before his latest offence.
The scammers used serviced offices in Mayfair, as well as elsewhere in the UK, to give the impression they were running a respectable established business.
However, they often left the offices quickly, defaulting on payments.
The yalso used a number of different business names to help conceal the fraud, including Belgravia Property Group, Carlton Residential, Park Lane Residential Ltd and Mayfair Residential.
The trio were caught after an investigation by Westminster City Council, with the assistance of the National Trading Standards Scambusters and the Met Police, helped to expose the scam.
Twenty-one victims came forward to provide statements to the Westminster City Council investigation, with losses amounting to roughly £26k.
Cllr Nickie Aiken, Westminster City Council cabinet member for public protection and licensing, said: “These fraudsters have wilfully exploited their victims in a cold and calculated fashion – but eventually their luck ran out.
“The hard work of Westminster City Council’s Trading Standards team, Scambusters and the Met Police left them with no more fake names to hide behind.
“There is a serious message for the consumer here - be careful who you are dealing with and do not just trust somebody because they have a slick office or a fancy company name.
"If you are letting a property make sure that you check the agent is a member of a proper redress scheme.”
Carl Robinson, chair of the Tri-Region Scambusters team, added: “Yet again, the collaboration and partnership working of local authority Trading Standards and the Tri Region Scambuster team has ensured another excellent result in court.
“Trading Standards services and regional assets such as the Scambuster teams work closely together to tackle serious consumer issues such as property and lettings fraud.
“Criminals have no respect for local authority borders, but together, as this case has clearly demonstrated, we can successfully prosecute offenders to protect vulnerable consumers."
