Fraudsters jailed after using details of people in Colchester
They each admitted seven counts of fraud by false representation
A pair of fraudsters who bought items online using the details of people in Colchester have been jailed.
Adekoya Adefowora and Deborah Oyeniyi ordered laptops and an Apple iPhone online, using personal details of people they did not know to pay for them through a finance option.
When the items were delivered to those people’s homes in May last year, the pair arrived a short time later wearing courier uniforms and told them the items had been delivered to the wrong address.
Five of the seven residents, who lived in Colchester and Felixstowe, handed them back.
But two did not after becoming suspicious.
One noted down the registration plate of the car Adefowora and Oyeniyi were using and told police.
They were stopped in a Ford Focus on the A12 near Brentwood the following day (13 May).
Officers found two laptops and an iPhone, which had all been obtained fraudulently, along with two courier uniforms and other evidence linked to the fraud.
Adefowora, aged 38, of Colyers Lane, Erith, and Oyeniyi, aged 23, of Russell Road, Canning Town, each admitted seven counts of fraud by false representation when they appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on 16 March.
They were sentenced on Thursday (29 April).
Adefowora was jailed for one year and three months and Oyeniyi was jailed for a year.
DC David St John, of the Serious Economic Crime Unit, said:
"Adefowora and Oyeniyi are now paying the price for their crimes, having had no consideration for either the companies or individuals they targeted as part of their fraud.
"There are some simple steps to help protect yourself against criminals looking to steal your personal details.
"If you receive an unsolicited email or phone call asking for your bank security details, never reveal your full password, login details or account numbers.
"Check your statements carefully and report anything suspicious to your bank or financial service provider.
"Don’t throw out anything with your name, address or financial details without shredding it carefully first.
"And if you receive items in the post with your name and address on that you didn’t order, contact the company it came from and do not hand it back to a courier."
More advice can be found on the Action Fraud website and Essex Police website.