Two men who scammed people moving home out of thousands of pounds have been jailed.

Alexander Robert Linley-Sharman, from Camden, and Jacob David Littlestone, from Oldham, were the directors of Islington-based removal company My Move Group.

The duo often refused to unload customers’ belongings unless they paid far more than the quoted cost.

On one occasion, a victim was charged £6,000 for the company’s services, despite having been quoted £300.

Another was initially quoted £200 but ultimately had to pay £2,000.

An investigation into the scammers by Islington Council was triggered after the authority received 19 complaints.

Some customers reported that if they objected to paying more than the agreed price, they were told their belongings would be put into storage with an additional charge of £500 a night until payment was made.

Others were forced to pay for fake parking tickets and bus lane contraventions.

The council said that only one of these parking tickets was real, and Linley-Sharman and Littlestone charged the customer £120 despite only paying £60 for the fine.

In court, the pair also admitted to falsely claiming their company had been endorsed by Costco and British Heart Foundation.

Both men pleaded guilty to eight counts of unfair commercial trading practices at Snaresbrook Crown Court on August 8, 2022.

They both received sentences of two years for the offences at the same court on September 26 this year.

Linley-Sharman was also given an extra year in prison for perverting the course of justice after he failed to appear for trial in person, claiming he had Covid-19.

Islington Council was able to show that he had submitted a fake NHS self-isolation letter when asked to provide proof.

Cllr John Woolf, Islington Council’s executive member for community safety, said: “Our community must be able to trust Islington’s brilliant small businesses which keep our local economy thriving.

“Any business owners who undermine that public trust by acting dishonestly or criminally should be warned that we will take robust action.

“Thanks to the tenacity of our Trading Standards and Legal Services teams, these culprits have been brought to justice."

Islington Council has now encouraged people to use a trader approval scheme recommended by the council, such as ‘Buy With Confidence’ or ‘Which Trusted Trader’ to find a removal business.