FRAUDSTERS are having expensive computer equipment delivered to the addresses of innocent householders and then collecting it in the latest scam to sweep across Surrey.

More than 25 victims have now come forward to report incidents, most of them from West Surrey including Farnham, Haslemere, Camberley and Guildford.

Households in Redhill and Staines have also been affected.

The fraudsters obtain names, dates of birth, addresses and telephone numbers of the victims and set up Littlewoods accounts in their names.

They then order the equipment, in most cases, iPads and laptops. After it is sent, they telephone the householders, claiming to be from Littlewoods, to alert them that a parcel has been wrongly delivered to their address and to re-arrange collection.

Pc Andy Jenkins from West Surrey CID, who is investigating the scam, explained: "The suspects are using internet searches to find people with good credit histories whose details they can use to set up fake accounts.

"These people generally live in affluent areas and are generally retired, which means that some of them may be elderly and vulnerable, and less likely to keep an eye on their own credit history through an agency such as Experian or Equifax.

"In some cases, the fraudsters have attended to collect the parcels claiming that they work for Littlewoods."

For full story, see this week's Farnham Herald.