Warning over bogus delivery scam

A STARK warning has been delivered to businesses across York after fraudsters conned thousands out of pounds out of a number of firms.

A city centre business lost more than £7,000 to the scam, when someone pretending to be from an events management company in Birmingham called to place a large order of champagne and spirits on a stolen credit card which the company is liable to pay for.

Meanwhile, a garage in Fulford lost £1,176 after scammers ordered four BMW tyres which were again taken by taxi to Birmingham.

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And another York auto centre also lost more than £1,000 when it dispatched an order for four tyres.

Now officers are warning businesses to be extremely careful when taking orders over the telephone to prevent the fraudsters from striking again.

Detective Constable Toby Gorwood, of North Yorkshire Police’s financial investigation unit, said: “It is important all businesses are aware this scam is happening. It is obviously very difficult to tell if someone is genuine or not when dealing with them over the phone, however there are some warning signs to look out for.”