January 21, 2020 - 1415 views
North Wales Police are advising petrol station owners and employees to be aware following recent fraud offences.
A petrol station on Anglesey was targeted over the weekend and a forecourt in the Wrexham area is recently believed to also have been a victim.
The number of people involved in the scam is not known but those involved are claiming to be area managers of franchises, and convincingly asking employees to send pump meter printouts to management via a mobile phone number.
They will then request for stock details, and request that the stock be transferred to other branches. The callers are then using local taxi companies to transport the stock.
Area Support Sergeant Ian Roberts said “This is clearly a well organised scam that targeted a local business. Financially, the loss is considerable to the victim and we are urging other retailers to be aware of any suspicious calls.
"I would encourage forecourt staff to challenge any suspicious calls, and if needed to call representatives back on authorised telephone numbers.
“If persons attend forecourts and assert they are management, suitable identification checks should be carried out.
“Additionally, taxi and courier companies should be aware if a request to transport goods from petrol stations is received.”
Anyone with information please contact Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111. Advice on fraud prevention is also available via https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/business-protection
