A scam artist from Perthshire has been sentenced for a fraud in which expensive iPhones were bought and removed from the boxes, which were then returned to stores for a refund.
In one case, Kameran Iqbal had removed the phone and replaced it with a bag of sugar.
In another incident, fake phones were put in the boxes.
Iqbal 25, of Tibbermore, near Perth, made more than £4,500 after targeting stores in Dunfermline and Alloa.
He blamed his mother, saying he was working for the family business but she was not paying him and he was desperate for cash.
He admitted the offences last November but had been doing unpaid work for similar offending elsewhere in Scotland.
Iqbal appeared back in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court where he had admitted he formed a fraudulent scheme to obtain mobile phones with a retail value of £4547.
The offences took place between November 26 and December 19 2022 at Argos in Alloa and Currys at Halbeath Retail Park, Dunfermline.
Iqbal previously appeared in court in Paisley for a similar offence.
The court was previously told in his offending period, multiple incidents of fraudulent transactions at retails premises were reported to police throughout Scotland.
Sugar scam
On November 26 at Argos, Alloa, an iPhone 13 was collected by a female and an American Express card was used for the transaction.
An hour later, the phone was returned. There was proof of purchase, the item appeared to be sealed and the refund was processed.
Shortly afterwards, a staff member inspected the box and became suspicious.
Upon opening the box, she discovered there was no iPhone and in its place was a bag of sugar.
Police were contacted, CCTV was seized and checks showed the bank card belonged to Iqbal.
American Express confirmed the card showed multiple transactions of a similar nature.
Fife store targeted
On December 13 2022, Iqbal and a female entered Currys in Dunfermline. He bought two iPhone 14 Pro Max mobile phones.
He gave his name and address and was using the same card as in the Alloa incident.
The phones were bought and 30 minutes later he returned them, receiving a full refund.
On January 3 2023, a Currys staff member received a message within a store managers group chat warning about an ongoing scam of people returning phones stating they had “changed their mind”.
As a result, she checked the two returned phones and they were identified as high-quality fakes.
Defence solicitor Shona Westwood said her client is now working in a garage.
Sheriff Susan Duff imposed a community payback order with 180 hours of unpaid work
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