Conmen Fooling People into Buying Potatoes Instead of iPhones

[Maura]

Computerworld reports today that conmen in Manchester, England, have been convincing people to hand over their cash using false pretences, tricking them into thinking they are getting an iPhone, when instead all that they are getting are ordinary household objects such as bottles of water, potatoes, or cans of Coke. It’s a variation on the scam that we’ve previously heard reports of in the US, where conmen show an unsuspecting member of the public some iPhones or iPads in the trunk of their car in a parking lot, and then give the hapless person a brick wrapped in an iPhone or iPad box once they’ve handed over the money. In the Manchester scam, the conmen show the mark a bag containing iPhones and laptops, and offer them to them for a bargain price. Then, when they get the bag home, they find out that it contains nothing but the aforementioned potatoes, cans, or bottles. Computerworld relates one particular incident where a man handed over £660 for what he thought was an iPhone and a laptop, only to find he had a bagful of Coke bottles. It is thought that the conmen have managed to scam £3,000 out of unsuspecting people since February. Police say that the conmen are white, with Eastern European accents, in their late 30s, one with an acne-scarred face and a goatee beard. “It is likely they are continuing to target people across Greater Manchester and I would urge anyone who is approached by them to not give them money,” said Detective Constable Michelle Wilkinson from the Economic Crime Desk to the Manchester Evening News.

Source: Conmen replace iPhones, laptops with Coke and spuds ( - Hardware Systems - Consumer Electronics )