November 28, 2017 12.31 pm This story is over 75 months old

Woman complains to Action Fraud after losing £200 in Boston iPhone Facebook scam

The report is currently being assessed.

A woman has complained to Action Fraud after she said she was scammed out of £200 when trying to buy an iPhone 7 from a Boston teenager on Facebook.

Helen Graper, 44, who lives in Nottingham, replied to an advert on the Facebook marketplace on November 17, which showed the phone for sale.

After speaking to the girl, who Helen claims is aged 19 and goes under at least eight different aliases, they agreed for the phone to be sent by recorded delivery.

The teen then allegedly insisted that payment be made via PayPal, and said she would post the phone the next day and would give Helen the tracking number.

Helen claims that after waiting for the tracking number and sending her messages, she heard nothing back from the teen.

She told Lincolnshire Reporter: “I am so upset that this has happened to me.

“This was going to be a Christmas present for my partner so for this to happen a few weeks before Christmas, I am pretty gutted and upset.

“This is the first time I have been scammed and it’s a horrible feeling! It could happen to anyone.”

Helen claims that she knows of at least another four people the teenager, who is said to live in the Boston and Sibsey areas, has scammed and has reported her to Action Fraud.

A spokesperson for Action Fraud has confirmed that the report is currently being assessed by the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.