This is one scam sure to leave the victim in tears.
A conman is claiming to sell computer bags, each containing a new Apple iMac and an iPhone5, for a bargain £700.
But once the victim has parted with the cash, he switches the bag for one stuffed with a sack of onions. Five people in Hounslow have been duped in the past month, prompting police to issue a warning. Similar scams are being pulled off across Britain, they say.
Chris Mulrooney, Hounslow town sergeant, said: “The person opens up a bag showing potential victims the items, shows them they are working.”
The crook initially asks for £1,000 but quickly drops his price to £700 or less. “He walks them to the cash machine, when some sort of bag switch goes on,” added Sgt Mulrooney. “When they open it up they find the bag is stuffed with onions or rubbish. It’s normally two people working together. One is in a nearby vehicle switching the bags.”
Shoppers have been targeted in the high street and outside Asda in Prince Regent Road by a man described as aged 35 to 40, 6ft tall, with short hair and an Irish accent. He is believed to work out of an old blue hatchback car.
