EBay conman gets four years

 

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By Hani Megerisi

Posted on 5 Mar 2010 at 07:30

A conman who conducted more than 96,000 fake transactions on eBay has been jailed for four years.

Gary Bellchambers ran an international network that sold counterfeit clothing, golf clubs and other goods, taking millions of pounds between 2003 and 2008. It is thought to be the largest ever scam of its kind.

The gang was caught after the police launched a sting named Operation Augusta – named after the famous US course where the Masters tournament is played – after an elderly woman complained to her local Trading Standards office that she couldn’t get a refund on fake golf clubs.

Bellchambers, from Rainham in Essex, was sentenced at Snaresbrook crown court in London, where he pleaded guilty to involvement in the network and to the unauthorised use of trademarked goods.

Co-conspirators Keith Thomas and Christ Moughton were also sentenced after pleading guilty to their involvement in the scams.

"Trust is at the heart of everything we do and so when, on occasion, that trust is abused by a small minority, we work tirelessly to ensure that they will not get away with it,” said Mark Lewis, managing director of eBay UK, in a statement welcoming the verdict.