Petrol card scam costs 'thousands'

Detectives are getting to grips with one of the biggest cases of its kind.

The Observer understands the number of complaints reported to Rother CID in the past few weeks tops the 100 mark.

Victims who have also contacted the Observer say amounts as large as 500 have been taken from their accounts following their use of credit cards at petrol filling stations. Many thousands of pounds are believed to be involved.

Losers - including motorists from the Sidley area - are finding that money has been withdrawn from their accounts from countries as far afield as Mexico, Canada, Monaco, and Pakistan.

Police are remaining tightlipped about the method used in the scam.

This week the Observer asked newly appointed Rother CID chief DI Owen Poplett for his comments and for legal reasons he was guarded in his response.

"As a result of a number of complaints by people who have had funds taken from their credit card accounts, we did arrest a person from the BP garage who has been interviewed and denied any involvement in the matter," he said.

"For other reasons, unrelated to this, Immigration are involved and he has been deported. There is nothing to suggest that the management of the BP garage is involved with any of this, and it is a matter that is widespread, and is now being collated by our Major Fraud unit.

"Obviously if people inspect their credit card account or bank card statement when they receive them, and there are any entries which do not appear right, they should contact their bank in the first instance."

He said a "considerable" number of people were victim to the scam and added: "We had a spate of reports coming in over the last two weeks, which this week seem to have tailed off."

It was not yet possible to assess the size of the fraud, but DI Poplett said: "It is not just Bexhill. You are talking about a national thing. It is a scam that has been picked up all across the south east.

"I think it is wider than that. It is certainly spread across the whole of the south east of England, which is why our Major Fraud unit have picked it up rather than it being dealt with by individual stations."

Meanwhile Sidley is buzzing with stories of people who have lost money.

One resident said: "A friend of mine was done - he lost 2,800."

Pat Tidd of Sidley Pets and Fishing Tackle said: "I have been lucky. I used my card there, but I was lucky. There seem to be usually sums of 300 taken - a lot of parents up at the school have been talking about it."

She had heard that the number of victims was in the hundreds.

"When I heard there was so many people I did wonder when they would get their money back.

"You don't think about it on your doorstep like this. You just don't think it would happen so close to home."

Also working in the shop was Lawrence Hearn, whose sister Leanne had lost 90.

Manager of the Co-op nearby, Michael Davey, realised 600 had disappeared from his account when he was checking online.

"I reported it, and I have been paid now, but obviously it was an inconvenience and a pain.

"It has happened to loads of people.

"From what I gather, 600 seems to be the regular figure, though some have been different. I was very surprised when it happened. The first thing you do is check your wallet to see if you have your card. Obviously I did, so I contacted my bank and the police. I have to say the bank was very good about it, so I can't complain about them really."

Roger Williams at Sidley Central Taxis heard about the scam from customers, and one of his drivers has lost 600.

Roger said: "I went in the garage two weeks ago. One chap was in there shouting about 2,000 which had come out of his bank account. The bloke behind the till said it was nothing to do with him. I think quite a few people have been affected - but that's only hearsay, I haven't witnessed it myself."

A shop assistant in Ninfield Road said: "Customers keep saying they have had a lot of money taken out of their account - from places like Italy or Pakistan. It goes from hundreds to thousands. Thank goodness it hasn't happened to me."

John Graebe, of Holliers Hill, said he lost 500. He told the Observer: "Lots of friends and neighbours have been to me to say that this has happened to them as well.

"I am hearing from more and more people.

"I really think it is one of the major crimes that have happened round here in a long time.

"You have to phone the police, get a crime number and then wait three weeks before you get your money back."