Fraudsters in £2,500 cardboard con

Police are hunting two fraudsters who have made about £2,500 by selling cardboard as “laptops”.

The scam has so far seen 12 people targeted in Edinburgh since October. Each time, the men approached their victims claiming they need to offload electrical items quickly to pay for bills.

After being taken to a nearby vehicle and agreeing a fee, the conmen would hand over a bag, which the buyer believed contained their goods. However, when the bags were opened, the contained only cardboard and bottles of water.

Detective Sergeant John Graham, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: “These men appear very convincing and desperate for money to pay essential bills.”