A pair of fraudsters have been cleared of trying to swindle thousands from hotels and a pizza parlour in Aberdeen.
Ahmed Bounoun and Salam Bonoua had been accused of attempting to fraudulently obtain £3,000 from Domino’s on Wellington Road in April last year.
It was also alleged they tried to take £8,000 from the Rox Hotel on the city’s Market Street and £6,000 at the House Spa on Great Western Road.
However, the charges were dropped in a plea deal agreed as the pair had been due to go on trial in Dundee.
They did admit conning hotels in Perth in a cunning chip and PIN refund scam.
Perth pretence
Dundee Sheriff Court heard Bounoun and Bonoua, from London, targeted the Station Hotel and New County Hotel in Perth.
On the same day in April 2019, the pair pretended to receptionists they wanted to book a room.
However, when they pretended to pay by card, the swindlers “tampered” with the transaction and actually refunded themselves thousands of pounds.
They made off with £17,000 through the fraudulent scheme.
Next month, the scammers, both from London, will be sentenced for defrauding the city centre businesses.
Pleas
Fiscal Depute Lora Apostolova told the court at the Station Hotel, a room was booked for £59.95 and the card terminal was handed over to complete the purchase.
The con artists subtly switched the transaction from a sale to a £13,000 refund.
They did the same at the nearby New County Hotel later the same day, “refunding” themselves £4,000.
It had been alleged they targeted the Aberdeen businesses in the same way, two days earlier.
Both men pled guilty to forming a fraudulent scheme to obtain a total of £17,000 from the hotels on April 10 2019.
They admitted they acted with another person while carrying out their scam.
On the same day as their hotel scam, the men had allegedly attempted to fraudulently obtain £1,500 from Walker the Jeweller on Union Street in Dundee.
Another charge alleged they tried to obtain £599 from Ramsdens on High Street, Dundee.
They had also allegedly used another man’s card to pay for a £138 room at the Queen’s Hotel in Perth.
The men were acquitted of all these charges.
Menu button manipulation
Dundee Sheriff Court heard 25-year-old Bonoua, of Harrow in North London, has no previous convictions.
Bonoun, 30, of Welsh Harp, also in North London, does have a criminal record and has been jailed before.
His solicitor John Boyle said: “A significant passage of time has passed.
“He has recently undertaken qualifications, there’s been a significant change in his circumstances since.
“My understanding of the way the fraud takes place is when they are booking the room, they are provided the (terminal).
“The card is put in. The terminal is then provided to them.
“After that stage, there’s a menu button on the screen which they press.
“They then change the transaction from a sale to a refund, and change the amount of that.”
Sheriff John Rafferty said: “It seems very strange to imagine.”
He continued the fraudsters’ bail and deferred sentencing to April 25 for reports.
