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Crieff Facebook group infiltrated as fraudster scams locals out of cash

The scammer conned their way into a local Facebook group and even sent victims to a genuine Crieff address.

High Street in Crieff.
Crieff locals found themselves at the centre of a Facebook scam. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

Locals on a Crieff Facebook page say they’ve been scammed out of cash by a smart-talking fraudster.

The crook posed as a local woman who was offloading items before a house move.

A number of victims paid deposits to the person, who went by the name of Phoebe Foster.

And some even turned up at an address they’d been given in the town, to the horror of the people who actually live there.

Researcher Annie Burman, 61, is one of the potential buyers who was caught out.

She paid a £25 deposit for a fridge freezer, using Paypal.

But when she tried to arrange a time to collect it, the conversation went dead.

Annie says she’s willing to speak out about her mistake if it alerts other people to the dangers.

Hand hovering over mobile phone screen with a number of social media widgets
The victims are all members of the Crieff and Strathearn Friendships group on Facebook. Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire

“Usually you get a clue that something is not right,” she said.

“There’ll be something fishy in the language that tells you it’s a scam. But this one didn’t seem fishy at all.”

Crieff Facebook scam included lies about sick child

The items were all listed for sale by “Phoebe Foster” in the Crieff and Strathearn Friendships Facebook group

Her locked profile states she is from Bristol.

However, the personalised link shows it was set up in the name of Jembe Mwatenga.

The victims all had conversations with “Phoebe Foster” on Facebook messenger, during which they discussed prices and suitable times to collect items, such as beds and vacuum cleaners.

Annie is one of at least three people who paid deposits, using Paypal’s friends and family function.

But after the deposit had been paid, Phoebe stopped responding to Annie’s messages.

There’s been no contact since.

View of Crieff street with Strathearn countryside in distance
The scam targeted members of the Crieff and Strathearn Friendships Facebook group. Image: Shutterstock.

Other potential buyers reported similar experiences.

In some cases, they were told there would be a delay in picking up their goods because “Phoebe” was at the hospital with her son, who had taken ill.

Another victim who did not want to be named said: “This was the worst of it for me. How could anyone lie about that? It’s disgusting.”

Annie reported the incident to Paypal, who agreed to refund her money, as well as to Facebook and Action Fraud, which investigates Facebook scams and other cybercrime in the UK.

The Courier messaged Phoebe Foster’s profile, but got no response.

Facebook scam sent victims to Crieff man’s home

Paul Mahady only learned about the scam when someone appeared at his home in Crieff looking for the seller.

“We’ve never heard of this Phoebe Foster,” he said.

“That’s how it came to our attention that people had been given our address.

woman using PayPal application through her smartphone.
The Crieff buyers paid their deposits through Paypal before realising it was a Facebook scam. Image: Shutterstock

“It’s a real shame.

“I suppose the lesson is, don’t pay a deposit to someone you don’t know,” Paul added.

“But this one was really convincing.

“The admins of the Crieff page were duped too.

“You have to answer questions when you join, to prove you know Crieff, so this person knew what they were doing.”

‘It’s a shocker… they passed all the tests’

June McEwan runs the Crieff and Strathearn Friendships Facebook page and vets newcomers before they are approved.

June McEwan standing next to Crieff notice board
June McEwan in Crieff. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

The group has more than 9,000 members, including expats around the world.

And June kicked “Phoebe Foster” out the moment the complaints came to light.

She says it’s the first time anything like this has happened.

“It’s a shocker,” said June.

“It did make me wonder what else I could have done.

“But this person really went over and above. They passed all the tests.”

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