TRADERS are being warned by Wiltshire police of a scam currently operating involving credit card purchases.

There have been several cases across the country, including Wiltshire, where criminals have obtained details of credit cards and used them to order goods from an address.

They usually keep the amounts or deposits paid to under £1,000 in order not to attract attention and then employ couriers to collect the goods for delivery to valid address, often in Birmingham and London.

However, once the goods are in transit they obtain the courier's mobile phone number and offer a plausible story to get the goods delivered to another address, often a derelict house.

Goods purchased in this way include sofas, motorcycles and quad bikes. Police say the items are transported around the country and offered for sale, often from the back of vans.

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said traders should carry out what is known as a Code 10 check at the time of a sale.

The check involves the retailer calling the card authorisation centre where extra security checks are made when the retailer is suspicious of the card being used, the card holder or the transaction.

The spokesman said: "Some traders believe they will be reimbursed by the credit card companies but if the Code 10 checks were not made the trader picks up the bill. One motorcycle dealer in the country lost £50,000 and is now facing bankruptcy.

"We are warning traders to not only complete the checks but also ask them to query why a customer is ordering readily available items from such a long way away.

"We would also ask couriers to query why they are picking up new goods and taking them from Wiltshire to Birmingham or London. Members of the public can also help by alerting police to vans travelling the area offering goods for sale."