WIREDGOV

A man has been jailed for thousands of pounds worth of fraud following good work by Nottinghamshire Police and Action Fraud.

A man who made more than £9,000 pounds preying on people renting properties has been sentenced to more than two years in prison.

Nick Bentley, 29, of St Stephens Road, Ollerton and originally from Mansfield, had been wanted for more than two years by Nottinghamshire Police when officers arrested him on 11 January 2020.

He pleaded guilty to 18 charges of fraud and a further charge of threatening behaviour using a Stanley knife in public.

Bentley had been wanted by police since 2016 after failing to appear at Nottingham Crown Court for separate offences.

His arrest came after years of investigations into multiple reports of fraud made to Action Fraud from all over the country.

Work from Nottinghamshire Police’s Fraud Unit and the Neighbourhoods Policing Unit culminated in Bentley being linked to an address in Ollerton.

A delivery driver who was posting items to a flat in St Stephens Road aided an officer in confirming the identity of Bentley as the occupant of the address.

When an officer confronted Bentley, a struggle ensued when he tried to run from him, resulting in his arrest.

Bentley will now serve a total of 29 months in prison for defrauding 18 people.

Detective Constable Gina Farrell, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Fraud Unit, said: “Fraud can happen to anyone. Bentley’s victims believed that they were putting deposits down for rental accommodation, holiday homes and other goods.

“He would supply them with a bank account to transfer money into an account. We found that Bentley had multiple accounts that he was using for such transactions.

“This is an opportunity for everyone to understand that you should never transfer money to someone via a bank transfer unless you know and trust them.

“Our advice would be to use protected payment methods or ensure you can verify the details of the person you are sending money to. We would advise never to send money by bank transfer to someone you do not know and have never met or where a company’s reputation cannot be verified. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is”.

“We are committed to investigating reports of fraud and will endeavour to bring those responsible for fraud to justice.

“It is important that people report all fraud to Action Fraud or, if you believe a fraudster is at your home or business, call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.” 

To report fraud, head to www.actionfraud.police.uk.