Warwickshire fraudster jailed over fake Covid certificates

Saranjeet Trina Kandola was jailed for two years

A fraudster who conned holidaymakers into paying for fake Covid-19 certificates has been jailed.

Saranjeet Trina Kandola traded as Travel Test Solutions Ltd, offering PCR tests for travel certificates costing between £60 and £149 per person.

However Warwickshire Trading Standards said the swabs were not tested and the documents were worthless.

On 11 May, Kandola, 41, of South View Road in Leamington Spa, was jailed for two years at Coventry Crown Court.

During the pandemic, many countries required proof of a negative Covid-19 test to allow travellers to enter.

Warwickshire Trading Standards said an investigation was launched into Kandola after a customer became concerned that the certificates they had received were fake.

Swabs taken by Kandola were never tested for coronavirus

It said Kandola, who advertised on social media, visited customers' homes to take swabs, with the certificates she provided stating testing had taken place at a Coventry-based laboratory and were negative for coronavirus.

But, trading standards said, the tests did not take place and the certificates issued were fake.

Trading standards said its officers were first alerted to the company on 21 December 2020, contacted it on the same day and Travel Test Solutions Ltd stopping trading immediately.

'Scam holidaymakers'

In a bid to hide her identity, trading standards said Kandola had used an online bank account in the name of an ex-partner and set up a website using a fake name.

The limited company was also set up in the name of another person, it added, with a fake Care Quality Commission number used on the certificates.

Kandola admitted five charges of fraud at an earlier hearing at Coventry Magistrates' Court.

At sentencing, she was also ordered to pay £220 compensation and a victim surcharge of £156.

She was also disqualified from being a company director for seven years.

Warwickshire County Councillor Andy Crump said: "It is unbelievable that someone should seek to attempt to scam holidaymakers in this way, leading people to believe that they were Covid-19 free when they could very well have had the virus."