Pair duped internet sellers into handing over mobile phones and games consoles for counterfeit cash
TWO men who used fake bank notes to buy games consoles and high value phones have been jailed.
The pair used the cash to dupe unsuspecting online sellers, but they were caught after an extensive operation by Nottinghamshire Police.
Christian Clifford, 44, of Millbank Place, Bestwood and Kieron Gordon, 33, of no fixed address, used nearly £3,000 of forged notes to complete a series of transactions in 2018.
That was until officers spotted a Nissan Juke linked to the investigation driving along Woodborough Road in August that year.
Clifford and Gordon were stopped by police and arrested in connection with multiple reports of using counterfeit cash to buy items from online sellers.
An investigation from the fraud team at Nottinghamshire Police found the men had been contacting numerous online sellers and offering them cash for high-value electrical items.
The men would meet the sellers and pay them using the fake money, leaving the seller out of pocket and the buyer with a valuable item for free.
Clifford pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud and Gordon pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud at an earlier hearing.
Clifford was sentenced to a year and eight months in prison and Gordon was jailed for two years and eight months at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, June 17.
Detective Inspector Ed Cook, who leads the fraud unit at Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This is an excellent result after a brilliant investigation by detectives in the fraud team, the financial investigation unit and support from intelligence analysts at Nottinghamshire Police.
“Clifford and Gordon showed no regard for the victims in these incidents, who were duped into giving their expensive items away.
“The jail sentences send a clear message to fraudsters – if you commit these crimes, you will be caught and there are consequences to your actions.
“While the result does not give the victims their items back, I hope that it provides some closure for them.”