POLICE are appealing for information over a scam involving people claiming fraudulent refunds from pubs in Wareham and Ferndown.

Officers have issued a CCTV image of a person they would like to trace in connection with the incidents, which happened on Friday, June 28.

They said on that day, at a pub in Wareham, a person went to pay for items with what was believed to be a stolen a card.

“He is believed to have tampered with the card machine and fraudulently inflated the price, so it overcharged him,” a Dorset Police spokesperson added.

“He then proceeded to point out the error and ask for a refund. The staff member did not then realise that he then used a different card when the money, which was several hundred pounds, was repaid.”

A similar incident occurred at a venue in Ferndown on the evening of Thursday, July 11, they said, which is believed to have involved the same person and again related to an amount worth several hundred pounds.

Detective Constable Mike White, of Dorset Police, said: “We are carrying out enquiries into these incidents and are now in a position to issue an image of a man we would like to identify.

Do you recognise this person? They are wanted in connection with card scams in Wareham and Ferndown. Picture: Dorset Police

“I would urge anyone who recognises him to please contact us.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to urge bars and pubs to be vigilant when customers are making payments using a card machine.”

Anyone with information or who recognises the person in the picture should contact Dorset Police via www.dorset.police.uk, or by calling 101, quoting incident number 55240107742. They can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111.