A scam artist was involved in a fraud where expensive phones were purchased and returned a short time later for a refund.

However, the phone had been removed and replaced with a bag of sugar, in one case.

In another incident, fake phones were put in the boxes after the real ones were removed.

The fraudster was 24-year-old Kameran Iqbal, of Earn Drive, Tibbermore, near Perth.

He appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court and admitted he formed a fraudulent scheme to obtain mobile phones with a retail value of £4547.

The offences took place between 26th November and 19th December 2022 at Argos, Old Bridge Street, Alloa and Currys, Halbeath Retail Park, Dunfermline and elsewhere.

He purchased mobile phones opened the packaging, removed the phones and thereafter resealed them with worthless items inside before claimed refunds.

Iqbal’s excuse was that that his mum was not paying him for working in the family business and he was desperate for cash.

The court heard Iqbal’s partner had originally been charged as well but he claimed he was acting alone.

Iqbal recently appeared in court in Paisley for a similar offence and multiple cases have been reported to the police across Scotland.

Depute fiscal Amy Robertson said: “Between 26th November and 19th December 2022, multiple incidents of fraudulent transactions were reported to police throughout Scotland at multiple retails premises.”

On 26th November at Argos, Alloa, an iPhone 13 was collected by a female and an American Express card was used for the transaction.

An hour later, at 12.37pm the phone was returned. There was proof of purchase, the item appeared to be sealed and the refund was processed.

Shortly afterwards, a staff member inspected the box and became suspicious which led to her opening it.

“Upon opening the box, she discovered there was no iPhone and in its place was a bag of sugar,” added the depute.

Police were contacted, CCTV was seized and checks showed the bank card belonged to Iqbal.

The depute went on, “American Express confirmed that upon checking the transaction history of this card, it showed multiple transactions of a similar nature – purchasing an item then returning it shortly thereafter for a refund.”

On 13th December 2022, Iqbal and a female entered Currys in Dunfermline. He bought two iPhone 14 Pro Max mobile phones.

He gave his name and address and using the same card as in the Alloa incident.

The phones were bought and 30 minutes later he returned them receiving a full refund.

On 3rd January 2023, a Currys staff member received a message within a store managers group chat warning about an ongoing scam where people were returning phones stating they had “changed their mind”.

As a result of this, she checked the two returned phones and they were identified as high-quality fakes.

Defence solicitor Shona Westwood said her client is currently unemployed.

She said, “At the time, he was working in the family business and his mother wasn’t paying him. He didn’t see any other way out.”

She conceded there was a “fair amount of planning” involved and said Iqbal now feels “regretful and embarrassed”.

Sheriff Susan Duff said she was concerned with inconsistencies in Iqbal’s claims about not being fit for unpaid work while he was applying for jobs.

She deferred sentencing until 4th December for an update on his progress on the court order from Paisley.