A hot tub hoaxer from Auchterarder faces further jail time for a Facebook scam that left unsuspecting buyers thousands of pounds out of pocket.
Serial con artist Edward Townsley advertised a jacuzzi-style pool for sale on the social media site.
The 32-year-old convinced two women to send him money but they called police when their spa tubs never arrived.
Townsley, from Auchterarder, instead used the cash to feed his drug habit and pay off debt collectors who were banging on his door every day.
He was last month jailed for a similar scheme involving unkept promises of roof repairs, gardening work and games consoles.
Customers became suspicious
Fiscal depute Stuart Hamilton told the court: “Both of these incidents involve the accused offering the sale of a hot tub on Facebook Marketplace.
“Both complainers made contact with him and were provided bank details to provide payment to.”
Despite transferring payments via Pay Pal and online banking, neither victim received their hot tub.
“The first complainer made contact with an acquaintance of the accused, asking to have her money refunded,” Mr Hamilton said.
“She was suspicious at that stage that the sale was fraudulent.”
Police were contacted when the refund was never delivered.
“The same process was followed in the case of the second complainer,” the prosecutor said.
“Officers traced the accused through his Facebook profile.”
‘Inveterate fraudster’
Townsley pled guilty to defrauding two women from his home on December 28 2021 and February 2 2022, cheating them out of £800 and £1,600.
He was brought to court from prison, where he is serving a 16-month sentence for similar scams on Facebook and Gumtree.
Solicitor John McLaughlin said: “Part of his problem was refusing to accept or acknowledge that he had a drug problem.
“Things really spiralled and he owed so much money that people were coming to his house on a daily basis looking for payment for the drugs that he had obtained.
Mr McLaughlin added: “He has now been drug-free for a considerable time.
“He is making the most of his time in prison.”
Sheriff William Wood deferred sentence until July 3.
Townsley previously pled guilty to seven charges of fraud committed between March 30 2020 and April 18 2022.
Sheriff Wood told him: “The difficulty you have is that you are an inveterate fraudster and a thief.
“There’s no other way I can say that.”
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