Police are alerting people hunting for a bargain at boot sales to a scam designed to relieve them of their cash. On Sunday, September 20, 2009 a 24-year-old Dagenham man had gone to the Mardyke Boot Sale at Ship Lane, Aveley when he was approached by three men who asked if he wanted to buy a cheap laptop computer. He was shown the computer and a digital camera and when the cash was being passed, the sellers created a distraction and switched the laptop for a bag containing two bottles of Coke and one of water, which cost the buyer £320.
The men responsible were aged in their 30s and possibly of eastern European origin. There have been a number of similar offences around the county and beyond and police are reminding people of the old saying that ” If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is”.
Anyone with information about the men responsible for this offence is asked to contact Pc Richard Smears at Ockendon police station on 0300 333 444 or to call Crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.
