Shropshire Star

Toy shops targeted by fraudster in Lego scheme that tricked them out of hundreds of pounds

A fraudster targeted toy shops by buying boxes of Lego and then returning the empty boxes in order to claim refunds.

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James Zaremba conned shops by ordering Lego online then returning the boxes filled with sand and paper

James Zaremba would order boxes of Lego from toy shops around the country in a bid to make hundreds of pounds in dishonest refunds.

In April last year last year the 31-year-old bought Lego worth £400 from Jarrold & Sons in Norwich before returning the empty box. A month later he targeted Toys 'N Tuck in Southend-on-Sea and Howley's Toymaster in Weymouth, Dorset, in an attempt to defraud the shops of £197.96 and £449.96 respectively.

In total he conned the shops out of £1,047.22.

Zaremba first targeted Jarrold & Sons, ordering Lego sets online on April 10 which were later shipped out. 10 days later the boxes were returned with a note saying they had been purchased without his knowledge/permission. A refund was processed for Zaremba to the value of £400.00.