Con man believed to be targeting drinkers at Wigan pubs

Daniel Buckley transferred £190 to the bank account of a man he met in the Tippings Arms in Poolstock to buy a television.

But he said the goods were never handed over and the man made excuses, before disappearing.

He has now spoken out in a bid to stop other people falling victim to the same man.

Mr Buckley, 30, from Poolstock, said: “We were just going in our local pub and he was there for weeks, chatting, being nice and friendly.

“After he got in our confidence, he started going on about how he works for an auction house and he had a website and everything with the stuff on it.”

Mr Buckley transferred the money for the television, while his girlfriend’s parents gave £2,000 to buy a van.

He said: “He kept in touch for over a week and said it was coming. I got angry then and started messaging that I wanted the money back and heard nothing.”

Neither Mr Buckley nor his girlfriend’s parents received the items they bought and he contacted the police.

He believes the man has targeted people in other pubs around the borough, including in Hindley Green and Leigh, with some thought to have handed over thousands of pounds.

He urged people to think twice before following in his footsteps.

Mr Buckley said: “If anyone offers you something that’s too good to be true, don’t do it. Don’t transfer any money to someone you don’t know.”

His warning is the latest urging Wiganers to be vigilant of scammers operating in the borough.

Last month, Shevington residents were told to look out for bogus workmen, after police received numerous reports of con artists at work. In one instance, someone paid thousands of pounds for work that was not done.

Wigan Council earlier warned people to be on their guard after reports of a fake housing officers attempting to gain access to homes across the borough.