A man used a false name to scam online sellers and get items worth thousands of pounds. Jake Salmon targeted innocent sellers on Gumtree, initially getting in touch with them to see if their items were still for sale, often through an account with a false name, report Nottinghamshire Police.
The 21-year-old would then agree to meet the seller and would appear to make a bank transfer. After purporting to make the transfer, he would show the seller a fake confirmation screen and explain that there would be a delay in payment being received due to it being a prepaid account.
Salmon would then dupe his victims into handing over the items before going their separate ways. He would then stop all communication and the sellers would never receive their money.
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This scamming began on September 5 in 2020, when he enquired about a laptop and the woman selling it agreed to drop it off in Buckfast Way, West Bridgford. A couple of days after the collection and being shown the ‘confirmation screen’, the woman was still waiting for funds, with Salmon, under a false alias, telling her that the bank were still doing checks. It was at this point the woman asked for a screenshot as proof of the transfer, and communication stopped.
This was then reported to Action Fraud. A man was then contacted by Salmon, who had again changed the name he was using on the site, on 10 September 2020 about a graphics card he was selling.
Again, after picking up the item from the West Bridgford area, he showed a payment screen on his phone. He even provided the name of a company, which he told the man he was working for, as well as a mobile number, after the man required additional assurance before handing over the card.
The incident was then reported to police after he realised the payment hadn’t come through two days later and that he had lied about the company he worked for. A further five people were targeted in the month that followed and during their investigation police found that Salmon had gone on to sell the items to a variety of private sellers and second-hand shops.
The items he took during this time included a range of computers, gaming equipment, a bike and a toolbox, all of which came to around £8,000. Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday (March 16), Salmon, of Minver Crescent, Aspley, was sentenced to eight months suspended for two years after pleading guilty to seven counts of fraud by false representation.
He was also handed a compensation order of £7,860 to pay back all the victims.
Detective Constable Emma Braybrook, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Salmon went above and beyond to ensure his victims would believe his lies, even showing them what appeared to be a confirmation screen so they would let him leave before the money had actually gone through.
“Even when questioned by a number of the sellers and asked to provide additional assurance, he was still able to convince them that the money was on its way and talk them round to handing over the items. Convincing their victims of their trustworthiness is something fraudsters become very good at and we are dedicated to working proactively to help people recognise if someone is trying to scam them and bring awareness to the steps they can take to prevent this.
“He conned these sellers out of a significant amount of money and it is great news that the court have also recognised how this has impacted them and ordered him to pay back the money. I hope this order brings some closure and satisfaction for the victims involved and that, for Salmon, he will be able to understand the seriousness of his actions and reassess his behaviour with the sentence he now has hanging over him, which will be imposed should he re-offend in any capacity.”
