Father and son jailed for steam iron returns scam

Dean Mathews, on the left and his father Paul Mathews pocketed £136,000 in the fraud

A father and son have been jailed after pocketing £136,000 by fraudulently refunding steam irons.

Paul and Dean Mathews, from Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, bought items that had been reconditioned and sold at discounted prices.

Using forged receipts, they took 528 items to an Argos shop over the course of three years and demanded the products be refunded.

The pair, of Queens Road, admitted conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering and were jailed for three years and two years respectively.

City of London Police said the items had been "heavily discounted" Tefal steam irons, worth £400 from new.

Paul Mathews, 62, was caught when Argos linked suspicious activity to him

The defendants took them to Argos stores with the fraudulent receipts and claimed they had been originally purchased there, the force said.

Norwich Crown Court was told the offences dated back to 2021.

Det Ch Insp Lee Parish, of the police's fraud operations team, said: "This was an elaborate plot with a very simple objective - make as much money as possible.

"Both men will now serve time in prison for their actions, which should serve as a lesson to those being tempted by illegal get rich quick schemes."

Three Tefal steam irons were found by police in the boot of Dean Mathews' car

The scheme was uncovered when Argos identified suspicious activity linked to Paul Mathews, 62, and later his 40-year-old son, Dean.

Two cars linked to both men were also seen on CCTV visiting different Argos stores, which married up with the fraudulent transactions that were paid out.

They were first arrested in February but despite being on bail, continued to pursue illegal refunds, the police said.

During searches of their property, officers found bank cards linked to the fraud hidden inside a clock, as well as three Tefal steam irons, police said.

"The impact of this fraud has a human element when you consider that businesses rely on profitability to pay their employees’ salaries, health benefits, and health insurance," Mr Parish added.