15 August 2024 , 13:09
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A dad and son pocketed £136,000 in a ‘get-rich-quick’ con using fake receipts to return cheap irons to Argos for the full price.
Paul, 62, and Dan Mathews, 40, would buy reconditioned Tefal steam irons – worth £400 when purchased brand new – at heavily discounted prices.
The pair, from Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, would then take them to Argos stores where they would produce a forged receipt and ask for a refund or gift card.
They pulled off the scam more than 500 times over a three-year period. Detective Chief Inspector Lee Parish said: ‘This was an elaborate plot with a very simple objective – make as much money as possible.’
The father and son were finally caught out in February this year when staff raised concerns over the elder man’s activity.
Detectives trawling through CCTV footage were able to pinpoint two cars linked to the duo visiting various Argos stores at the time the fraudulent transactions were made.
During a search of their home address, they seized several devices, while an Argos carrier bag containing three Tefal steam irons was found in the boot of one of Dean Mathews’s cars.
CCTV of Paul Mathews (Picture: City of London Police/SWNS)
He was jailed for three years (Picture: City of London Police/SWNS)
CCTV of Dean Mathews (Picture: City of London Police/SWNS)
He was handed a two-year prison sentence (Picture: City of London Police/SWNS)
Both men were banned from entering Argos stores as part of bail conditions following their initial arrest in February.
But they resumed the scam within 24 hours and carried on through to May, when they were arrested again and remanded into custody charged with fraud and money laundering offences.
Paul Mathews was jailed for three years at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday. Dan Mathews was handed a two-year sentence. They each admitted conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.
DCI Parish said: ‘Both men will now serve time in prison for their actions, which should serve as a lesson to those being tempted by illegal get-rich-quick schemes.
‘You will eventually be found out, and we will pursue you until justice is served.
‘Retail fraud has a huge impact on a very human level.
‘The impact of this fraud has a human element when you consider that businesses rely on profitability to pay their employees’ salaries, health benefits, and health insurance.’