Man gets 14 months for eBay rip-offs

Published on Thursday 26 March 2009 08:58

A MAN who made £8000 by selling non-existent holidays on eBay when he was a teenager has been jailed for 14 months.

During 2003 and 2004, Nathan Hudson copied genuine ads for trips to London, New York and Paris and charged customers up to 1500 a time for the breaks.

Hudson, who was 19 and living in Leith at the time, used an internet cafe in Leith Walk to con 12 people during the three-month scam, which came to light after angry customers posted negative feedback on the website.

Now 25, Hudson, from East Yorkshire, had been easily traced after giving his name, e-mail address and bank details to his victims.

He pleaded guilty to 12 charges of fraud totalling 8129 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier this month and was sentenced yesterday.

Solicitor Duncan Hughes, defending, said his client had a "sheltered and protective" upbringing as an only child but things had gone wrong when he left home.

Hudson is already serving a two-year sentence after being convicted of other offences.