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Fraudsters ordered to pay victims back

Three fraudsters who scammed over 100 eBay customers out of money have been ordered to pay back almost £72,000.

eBay

The three men admitted the large scale fraud in Derby Crown Court in December last year and were jailed for three-and-a-half years.

The gang set up a fake company and used the website Gumtree to advertise vacancies. When people submitted their CVs to apply for the jobs, the men used the personal details of 11 of them to set up false bank accounts. They then created another 19 fake identities to perpetrate their scam.

The men used the identities to open eBay accounts and sell stolen goods on the website. They then started selling fictitious items, encouraging customers to pay with a banker’s draft. The people who were scammed never saw the items they paid for and lost their money.

More than 100 eBay customers from across the UK were conned in this way, although officers believe there could be more victims who did not report the crime. The investigation revealed that £79,527 had been paid into false bank accounts during the conspiracy.

Victims compensated

At a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act last Friday the men were ordered to pay back the victims they scammed. Failure to do so would result in additional jail time.

Detective Superintendent Terry Branson: “These three conned numerous people, who paid them money for items they never received. I’m pleased that some of these victims will now be compensated thanks to this confiscation order. The Proceeds of Crime Act is an excellent piece of legislation which allows us to make sure that criminals are stripped of any wealth they have made illegally.”

For further information visit the Derbyshire Police website.

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To report a fraud and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.

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