A wanted fraudster has been preying on locals with an elaborate 'organic' vegetable delivery con, an Edinburgh Live investigation can reveal.
Mark Bullen, who is currently wanted by Kent Police after carrying out similar scams in the county, has been operating a fruit and vegetable delivery service in Edinburgh and the Lothians. One driver duped into working for his service, who said he was never paid for the work he did, told how Bullen snaps up veg from Tesco discount aisles before punting it to unsuspecting shoppers as organic produce from local farms.
Some buyers received one or two boxes before being completely ignored, while others received nothing - yet had already paid for multiple deliveries. Bullen, 52, sometimes goes under the name Paul and uses multiple surnames including Pullen, Wilson, and Cullen.
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Kent Police are currently hunting Bullen "in connection with a fraud offence in the Tunbridge Wells area." The conman recently featured on BBC Crimewatch, where they described him as 50 years-old, bald, with a grey beard.
Police Scotland has confirmed reports of fraud have been made in Edinburgh with "enquires ongoing".
While Bullen has links to Sussex and Norfolk, he could be operating anywhere. He was charging customers in the capital £19.50 for a mixed fruit and veg box, £10.99 for a veg box and £11.99 per fruit box. City resident Elizabeth McMillan Russell lost £178.
She told Edinburgh Live: “I paid for fruit and veg boxes in advance. We got two deliveries, then nothing. I asked for a refund, but he stalled and put it off and then nothing.”
A driver for the delivery service, who prefers to remain anonymous, said he was promised £15-an-hour to run the fruit and veg boxes. After keeping a track of the hours he worked, he approached Bullen for his wages who told him they were ‘on the way’.
The source told Edinburgh Live: “He said his accountant is sorting it out, so I typed all the details of what he was due me. Then, I did a bit of digging and found out everything. He’s a fraudster.
“He’s been doing this for years all over England and Wales, so I knew I wasn’t going to get my wages. I sent him a message saying pay my wages, or else all your information that I’ve found will be plastered all over Facebook. He said he’ll post my wages by bank transfer, but he never did.”
The driver turned detective and tracked down Bullen’s multiple aliases. To his horror, he discovered the conman's various fruit and veg scams up and down the UK. According to those who fell victim to the scam, Bullen asks for money up front for regular deliveries.
Some claimed he followed through with one delivery, before delaying on future deliveries and eventually going to ground on them.
One local resident claimed after paying up front for several deliveries, she was left empty handed. She said: “Will I receive anything, or will I receive a refund? I have in no way had £60 worth of anything.”
Susan Arthur, another Edinburgh resident, says she was left empty handed after paying. She told us: "He has took £70 for the so called 'Christmas Box'.
"I asked on a number of occasions for my money back, no answer. He does not answer the phone or messages.
Another victim, who believes hundreds of people have lost money in the scam, told us: “He’s a scammer. My brother didn’t get his full wage from him, and I know he just buys stuff at Tesco and claims it’s vegan local produce.”
Mark featured in the 'Wanted Faces' section of BBC's Crimewatch show on March 13. They said: “We have Mark Bullen, but he sometimes uses the names Paul and surnames Pullen, Wilson and Cullen.
“He’s wanted by police in Kent for a series of frauds by false representation. He’s 50-years-old, bald and sometimes has a grey beard. He also has links to Sussex or Norfolk.”
And home delivery scams are not Bullen’s first go at fraud. Back in 2005, he was prosecuted for flogging fake signatures of famous sportsmen - using his Mark Pullen alias. The Dorset Echo told readers how he sold Manchester United football shirts with a forged signature of England legend David Beckham.
Using Ebay, he also hawked fake signatures of Roy Keane, Muhammad Ali and others. Manchester United tipped off Trading Standards officers - who bought a £140 shirt from the scammer and sent it to the club to confirm it was fake.
He was sentenced to three months in jail and ordered to pay costs of £1,725. More recently, he’s been seen to be advertising his delivery service not only in Edinburgh, but in Glasgow, Fife and St Andrews.
A spokesperson for the City of Edinburgh Trading Standards told us: "As we are restricted in terms of disclosure relating to our enforcement work, we are unable to make any comment regarding complaints about specific businesses at this time.
"However, City of Edinburgh Trading Standards are keen to hear from any consumer who has experienced issues like this. This is how we are able to target our enforcement action appropriately - we are able to take action where the collective interests of consumers are being harmed by the actions of a trader, or in circumstances where the conduct would merit criminal proceedings."
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