The victim, a 20 year old who has not been identified, was on Cardigan Road when approached by a man who offered to sell him a laptop.

The ‘trader’ went with the student to the Halifax bank in North Lane, where he withdrew cash while the man waited in his car nearby. He then handed over the money and was given a bag before the ‘trader’ left in his car. The student later found the bag only contained two bottles of water.

Police described the suspect as an Eastern-European looking male, between 5ft10 – 6ft tall, in his late 20s or early 30s, adding: “He spoke with an accent that is described as not local”.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said incidents of this nature are not infrequent. “Students near to university campuses are often seen as easy prey. [The scam] usually involves the victim being approached in the street and shown a genuine laptop or tablet computer being offered for sale at a bargain price.”

He added: “The victim is normally able to switch it on and see it working but before the goods are handed over the case is switched for one containing something worthless to provide weight – often bottles of water, telephone directories or even potatoes.”

Ben Fisher, the Union’s Community Officer, warned students not to get caught out: “Buying valuable goods off the street is never good. If you’re offered cheap goods on a street corner, it’s either a con or they might be stolen. Don’t be tempted and make sure to report it to the police”.

Author: Ellie Parkes