Rogue trader jailed for three years after defrauding people in Fareham and Horndean
A rogue trader that defrauded people out of thousands of pounds has been jailed for three years.
Paul Tapp, 42, targeted victims in Fareham and Horndean, convincing them to pay large sums of money for him to do guttering work. Tapp, of Swallow Gardens in Hatfield, pleaded guilty to a charge of two counts of fraud by false representation, and was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on Monday, June 16.
The incidents took place between June 21 and June 29 in 2022. He knocked on the door of a man in his 80s in Fareham where he offered to do guttering work and took a £5,000 deposit. He did not do the work but returned the next day asking for a further £5,000 and issuing an invoice for £36,000 for work to be done on the garage gutters.
Tapp returned for a third day, taking more money, and told the man that if the bank called to query the payment he should tell them the money was going to his son in law. A cleaner at the property became suspicious and called the victim’s son who subsequently called the police. Trapp was arrested at the scene.
Over the same timeframe he also defrauded a woman in her 60s in Horndean. He told her the guttering on her property needed to be replaced and quoted £5,500 for the work, with £2,500 being paid in cash on the day. He then called the victim the next day and said there was an issue and she needed to go to the bank to get more money.
This made the woman suspicion and she contacted Action Fraud and her bank to cancel the transferred funds.
DC Josh Seaman, who investigated this case, said: “Rogue traders and doorstep criminals routinely prey on the elderly and vulnerable members of our community, often using confusion tactics or coercion in order to extort them out of vast sums of money.
“In this case, Tapp attempted to defraud one person out of £36,000 and another out of £5,500.
“Criminals like Tapp are a blight on our community, but it is down to community spirit and community intelligence that we can drive these offenders out of our areas. We urge people to continue to report suspicious activity to the police, to look out for your vulnerable neighbours, friends or relatives, and to report crime to Action Fraud or the police.”
Advice and information on doorstop crime can be found on the Hampshire police website: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud/personal-fraud/door-to-door-courier-fraud/