A father and son from Wisbech have been jailed for a total of five years after pocketing £136,000 in an elaborate scheme of purchasing reconditioned steam irons and returning them with forged receipts to Argos. Paul Mathews, 62, and Dean Mathews, 40, both of Queens Road, Wisbech, purchased heavily discounted Tefal steam irons, worth £400, and then returned them to Argos.
Paul Mathews and Dean Mathews both pled guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering and were sentenced to three years and two years, respectively, at Norwich Crown Court on 13 August 2024.
The steam irons that were purchased by Paul and Dean Mathews were reconditioned, meaning they had been repaired and offered for re-sale at discounted prices.
The father and son duo forged receipts which allowed them to return the reconditioned items at Argos and claim they had been originally purchased there.
In total, there were 528 transactions of items being returned or exchanged by Paul Mathews and Dean Mathews dating as far back as 2021, amounting to £136,000 being paid back fraudulently. Refunds were also issued in the form of Argos gift cards.
Detective Chief Inspector Lee Parish, from the Fraud Operations team at the City of London Police, said: “This was an elaborate plot with a very simple objective – make as much money as possible.
“Both men will now serve time in prison for their actions, which should serve as a lesson to those being tempted by illegal get-rich-quick schemes. You will eventually be found out, and we will pursue you until justice is served.
“Retail fraud has a huge impact on a very human level. The impact of this fraud has a human element when you consider that businesses rely on profitability to pay their employees’ salaries, health benefits, and health insurance.”
Suspicions were first raised when Argos identified suspicious activity linked to Paul Matthews.
On further inspection, the full extent of the father and son’s scheme was uncovered.
Two cars linked to both men were also seen on CCTV visiting different Argos stores, which married up with the fraudulent transactions that were paid out.
City of London Police’s specialist Fraud Operations team were brought in to investigate, and it was able to link Paul and Dean Matthews to numerous fraud offences in Argos stores.
Both men were first arrested in February 2024 for fraud and money laundering offences.
They both answered “no comment” throughout their police interviews.
A number of items were also seized during a search of their home address, which included digital devices and three Tefal steam irons in an Argos carrier bag that were found in the boot of a car belonging to Dean Mathews.
Both men were bailed with conditions stating they could not visit an Argos store; however, they continued their criminal spree with the next offence being committed within 24 hours of them being bailed.
This continued until early May 2024, when it was discovered that numerous trips, in breach of bail conditions, were being made to Argos stores, despite being told by the police to stop.
Subsequently, both men were re-arrested for fraud by false representation, money laundering and conspiracy to defraud during a second search of their home address in June 2024.
It was during this second search of the premises that officers found further bank cards linked to the fraud at Argos hidden inside a clock
A further 19 new offences were also put forward to them in interview, all of which took place during their conditional bail period.
Due to their repeat offending, both men were remanded in custody.
