Father and son jailed for £130k Argos 'irons' fraud

Paul Matthews, 62, and Dean Matthews, 40, bought a large number of faulty irons from another company before getting refunds from Argos using fake receipts.

Norwich Crown Court heard the pair received £136,860 in refunds from Argos stores across the country after they returned the discounted Tefal steam irons, which are worth £400.

Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest) Refunds for the irons, which had been repaired and offered for sale at discounted prices, were also issued in the form of Argos gift cards.

Matthew Edwards, prosecuting, said faulty items bought by the father and son before being refunded by Argos - where they were never purchased - included 160 Tefal steam irons.

Mr Edwards said the pair were refunded by Argos stores across the country on 521 occasions.

The fraud, which took place between March 2021 and June 2024, was picked up after a particularly large refund was made by the company.

Paul Matthews (Image: City of London Police) It sparked an investigation, which found refunds had been made to bank cards belonging to the defendants on 431 occasions.

Mr Edwards says the total cost of the investigation was more than £17,000.

He said it had been a "sophisticated" offence which took "significant" planning and was committed over a "sustained" period of time.

David Matthews (Image: City of London Police) Paul and Dean, both of Queens Road, Wisbech, appeared at court on Tuesday having both admitted fraud by false representation.

Jailing the pair for a total of five years, Judge Anthony Bate said they were "seasoned fraudsters" who had taken "full advantage" of the vulnerability in the Argos refund procedure.

Judge Anthony Bate (Image: Newsquest) Paul, who has 21 previous convictions for 52 offences, was jailed for three years and Dean, who has two previous convictions, got two years. 

Giles Fleming, mitigating for Paul, said he had been out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic when the offending started and had also returned to alcohol and drug use at the time.

He said he had shown remorse.

Stephen Mather, for Dean, said he had been "greedy and lazy" and had offended to help pay for items for his four children.

He said his partner had received a terminal diagnosis and that he wants to return to honest work when he is released. 

Elaborate Plot to make as much money as possible

Speaking after the case, Detective Chief Inspector Lee Parish, from the Fraud Operations team at 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 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."

He added: "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".