Dodgy fish sellers arecausing a right stink

PCSO Nigel Wass revealed details of the scam at a meeting of Horncastle Town Council last week.

He told councillors that only 23 crimes were reported in the Horncastle area in April - less than one a day.

However, he said incidents involving scams were increasing and confirmed people involved were targeting ‘vulnerable members of society.’

He said the scam involving selling fish highlighted scammers were becoming more sophisticated.

PSCO Wass said: “In this instance, the people involved were using a chip and pin machine to obtain payment.

“The woman was confused and before she knew what was happening, she’d paid £380 for fish that wasn’t worth anything like that.

“These people (scammers) are the lowest of the low. They are a blight on our community and they operate right on the edge of the law.”

PCSO Wass revealed the scammers were selling fish from an unrefrigerated van, and he confirmed they were believed to travel from the Durham area. He urged people to only buy from reputable dealers, and to always check details before handing over money.

PSCO Wass added: “Together with other agencies, we are doing everything we can to make people aware of scams.

“Apart from these fish sellers, we’ve had reports of scams over the phone, people knocking on doors and people impersonating police officers.”

Regarding the crime figures, PCSO Wass said 116 incidents were reported in the Horncastle division in April, but there were only 23 crimes.He explained the majority of incidents were reports of suspicious behaviour and added: “Twenty three offences is still 23 too many, but less than one crime a day shows Horncastle is safe place to live.”