Six arrested as part of major online EBay fraud operation after warrants issued in Doncaster

South Yorkshire Police has today (Tuesday 21 February) made six arrests as part of ongoing action to disrupt a major online-enabled fraud operation which has seen hundreds of victims targeted across the UK.
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Across the day, warrants were executed in Rotherham, Doncaster, Essex and Hampshire as part of Operation Snake Alpha, set up by South Yorkshire Police to target the organised crime group behind a series of eBay frauds.

In these scams, a vehicle is listed for sale on the site and the victim is required to pay a deposit to secure the vehicle and is sent to an address to collect it. However, when they arrive at the collection address, the occupant has no knowledge or involvement in the fraud and the vehicle is not available, meaning the victim loses the deposit paid.

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Detective Chief Inspector Anna Sedgwick, who led the operation, said: “Today’s activity forms part of a large scale, multi-agency investigation into the organised crime group who have been committing these frauds across the country over a number of years.

A number of warrants were carried out todayA number of warrants were carried out today
A number of warrants were carried out today

“As fraud mostly takes place online it’s instantaneous and fraudsters are often operating internationally. It can be very difficult to identify the criminals involved and bring them to justice.

“This operation shows the importance of collaboration to fight fraud and cyber crime. It has given us a unique opportunity to understand how these fraudsters are operating and work with partners across the country, including the National Crime Agency, to make significant arrests to disrupt the group.”

There are a wide range of online-enabled frauds in operation where scammers use digital platforms to trick innocent people out of their money, and eBay is just one of many sites used. Buying products from eBay is usually straightforward, but some scammers work to defraud innocent people who are just trying to get a good deal.

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The ‘virtual vehicle scam’ is one of the most popular types of used car scams. In these, the advert has usually been cloned from elsewhere. In most cases, the advert will entice the buyer by advertising an in-demand make and model of car, with slightly below average price tag, because scammers have now realised promoting a ‘too good to be true’ deal doesn’t fool many these days.

In this case, it is believed a number of ‘money mules’ have been recruited from across South Yorkshire to assist the group’s operation. Criminals often recruit a third party to help move money in a way that avoids detection by police. A ‘money mule’ is a person who transfers stolen money on behalf of others, usually through their bank account.

Scammers will contact people and offer them a small amount of cash to receive money into their account and transfer it to another account. It may seem like a harmless way to increase your income, but the money being transferred could well be stolen and ultimately used to fund organised crime. Knowingly transferring money on behalf of criminals is money laundering and can be punished with up to 14 years in prison, and it can also result in your bank account being closed and impact your credit rating.

The National Crime Agency’s (NCA) National Economic Crime Centre said: “Criminals take advantage of the ease of online shopping and are known to use trusted selling platforms to appear more legitimate to potential buyers.

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“If someone is genuinely selling a high value item, they will let you see the product before allowing you to part with any cash.

“Remember, if something appears too good to be true, then it usually is. If you have fallen victim to fraud or cyber crime, report it any time at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

“Fraud has a devastating impact on victims - the NCA are committed to working with partners to tackle it.”

DCI Sedgwick added: “My advice would be to never, ever transfer any money to anyone, no matter how pleasant or legitimate they seem, without having physically seen the car first. We have seen reports of this scam grow significantly in recent years, and therefore it’s really important buyers take extra steps to check the seller is legitimate before handing over any cash or personal information.

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“Together with law enforcement partners across the country, we will take robust action against anyone found to be committing fraud or money laundering offences here in South Yorkshire.”

Four men and one woman, aged between 28 and 33, have been arrested on conspiracy to defraud, fraud by false representation and money laundering. A further women, aged 27, was arrested on suspicion of child neglect and remain in police custody.