Police warn people selling mobile phones online

Police are warning anyone selling mobile phones on sites like Gumtree to be on their guard after a recent fraud.
News from Northumbria PoliceNews from Northumbria Police
News from Northumbria Police

On Saturday, a woman who was selling a £300 Samsung mobile phone via the Gumtree website was contacted by a man who wanted to come and see it.

Two men went to her home, viewed the phone and said they wanted to buy it. They told the seller that they needed to go to a cash machine to withdraw the money and left.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was only after they had gone that the woman realised that her Samsung S7 phone had been switched for an exact replica dummy phone.

The one the men had left behind looked exactly the same as her phone but was only the shell and battery and contained no working parts.

The incident was reported to police and inquiries are ongoing to try to track down the men responsible for the theft of the phone.

They are described as being Asian in appearance and in their 30s. Both spoke with eastern European accents, possibly Polish.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The first was of slim build, around 5ft 11ins tall, wearing a cream jacket and a dark-coloured shirt.

The second was of large build, around 5ft 8ins tall, with a short beard and short black hair. He was wearing a black T-shirt and black jeans.

Anyone with any information into the incident is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 665 31/07/16.