When police raided Ede Osifo's home, they seized £14,260 cash in a briefcase, which they believe came from banks and credit companies who had loaned him funds. The Regional Asset Recovery Team (RART), led by the Metropolitan Police, also seized £3961.85 assets from his home, including a Mercedes car worth around £800, a widescreen television, a home computer, a music system and DVD player. His bank account was also confiscated.

All these items were seized by police at the time of arrest and Osifo was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and a deportation order. The £14,260 cash was used to compensate financial organisations and companies which had lost money from Osifo's deceit.

Compensating the lost money was done under Operation Payback, which allows police to seize back assets gained by criminals through illegal activity. Detective Chief Inspector Tristram Hicks, head of London RART, praised Operation Payback for catching the conman.

DCI Hicks said: "This case shows how Payback can impact on local crime. This man entered the UK illegally, committed a series of deceptions and now leaves with nothing. Crime doesn't pay." Osifo will serve his prison sentence in Liverpool Prison before being deported back to Nigeria.