Fuel card fraudster's £3k bill
A card-cloning conman racked up a £3,000 petrol bill during an elaborate six-day fuelling spree at a Black Country forecourt.
West Midlands Police today released this CCTV image of the suspect they believe used a cloned petrol card at least 40 times.
The swindler duped motorists he met in Birmingham Road, Coventry, into believing he could top their cars up with discounted petrol.
Interested drivers, wooed by the promise of half-price petrol, then embarked on a 26-mile convoy following the trickster to the BP Supermart Petrol Station in Willenhall Road, Bilston.
When they arrived, the conman would tell staff at the petrol station that he owned a car hire firm and needed to fill up his vehicle at night.
He would then pay with the cloned fuel card, which is licenced for use by a haulage company in Tamworth, before asking for some of the value of the petrol from the drivers. Police say all fraudulent transactions took place between midnight and 3am before the card was blocked.
Pc Steve Gwynne, from Bilston Police Station, appealed for anyone who recognised the man in the image to get in touch.
"The car owners accompanied the man to the petrol station.
"The male would then fill their vehicles with fuel and pay using the cloned card. The car owners paid the man half the value of the fuel dispensed."
The man police want to question is described as being Asian, aged 35 to 40, of heavy build, and with black hair receding slightly at the sides. The man also has a black goatee beard and always wore a black coat.
All offences took place between the May 14 and 19. Anyone with information should contact Pc 6089 Gwynne at Bilston Police Station on 0845 113 5000 extension no 7879 6439.
