Student selling camera online realises he’s been scammed – but Post Office won’t hand parcel back

A student who fell foul of fraudsters while selling a camera tried to get his parcel back from the Post Office before it was sent – but was refused.

Jay Stocks, 17, thought that he was selling a camera to someone on Gumtree earlier in the week, and took it to the main Post Office on Grimsby’s Victoria Street to be sent off.

Later that day, he realised that the person he was selling the camera to was a fraudster, after they claimed in fake emails pretending to be from Paypal they had accidentally sent him £200 too much and asked him to send it back. But when he checked his Paypal account, the money hadn’t been sent at all.

The next morning he went to the Post Office, with his receipt and asked if they could hand the parcel – which hadn’t yet been sent – back.

He says he was told that they were not allowed to give it to him, as the parcel was no longer his property, but Royal Mail’s.

Jay then went to the police station and reported the incident.

He says two officers went to the Post Office to try and get the parcel, only to be told that they would not be given it either, despite it now being part of an active fraud investigation.

Grimsby Institute student Jay said: “I had tried to sell my camera because I was promised a better one from a friend at rock bottom prices, so I put it on Gumtree.

“Someone then purchased the camera and told me that I would have to send them proof of postage before I could receive my money through Paypal. So I took it to the Post Office, but missed the delivery time so it stayed there overnight, and during that time I discovered the person I was selling it to was scamming me.

“So the next morning I went down to the Post Office again and asked them if I could get my parcel back, and they refused saying that it was no longer my property.

“I then went to the police station and told them about what had happened, and two officers went to the Post Office, but they wouldn’t even give them the parcel, even though they were told that there was an active fraud investigation.

“I can understand that it is in their policy not to give the parcel back to me, but not giving it to the police just doesn’t make any sense to me.

“Now I have been left without any money or a camera, so I can’t get a new one and it will really affect the media course that I am doing.”

Jay’s mum Karen says that she was made aware of the Post Office’s policy, but also says that she understands that it says that police can request that they can give a parcel back to someone, and cannot understand why this did not happen.

She said: “It has really angered me, I just don’t understand why they would not give the parcel to the police, it is like they are allowing fraudsters to get away with what they are doing.

“We have been told that the address that the camera has been sent to, is probably not the fraudster’s address, so we are just hoping that the person who lives there is a kind soul who will help us to get it back.”

A Post Office spokesman said: “It is an offence to delay delivery of mail and postmasters are not allowed to stop onward delivery of the mail.

“A customer who believes there may have been criminal activity, needs to contact the police and Royal Mail if they want help to try to intercept an item of mail.”

Jay has contacted Royal Mail, who he says have told him the parcel is being monitored.

Royal Mail have been contacted for comment, but have not responded at the time of publication.

A Humberside Police spokesperson said: “We have received reports of a potential fraud involving the sale of an item on an online platform and are working with the caller to identify if any offences have been committed.”

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