Rotherham mum duped by internet con

Debbie Aldridge paid cash for a Samsung phone intended for her daughter, Charlotte, which she ordered from a supplier she found online called JB Mobiles.

She said she had been taken in by a company reprensentative called Craig, who persuaded her to pay cash into an HSBC account.

The phone failed to arrive, a company phone number went straight to voicemail, and address in Cardiff that Debbie was given proved not to exist.

“I have a receipt from the bank to prove I made the payment but because it was cash and it’s not my bank, they’re telling me the money is lost,” said Debbie of Beaconsfield Road, Broom.

She urged others to beware of similar tricks.

At least one other family in Rotherham is believed to have been duped and police say they are investigating.

Anyone who concerned that they may have fallen for the same scam should contact Pc Karen Casey on 101.