HE is the pipe-puffing sleuth who has solved the most complex of murders and snared international criminal masterminds.
But it seems even Sherlock Holmes is not safe from Britain’s cyber crime epidemic.
AlamySherlock Holmes’ London base, at 221B Baker Street, is at the centre of its very own mystery[/caption]
Peter JordanThe Sun witnessed Parcelforce try to deliver two packages after tricksters had them routed there[/caption]
Peter JordanThe parcel had been dispatched from an address in France, and was supposed to be returned to Indian firm Mandasa Technologies[/caption]
The 19th Century fictional detective’s London base, at 221B Baker Street, is at the centre of its very own mystery, after a Sun investigation found it is being bombarded with rogue packages almost daily.
The posh Marylebone address — now a museum dedicated to writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s greatest creation — is being targeted as a fake returns hub for junk products from Chinese and Indian web retailers.
Staff revealed drivers from Evri, Parcelforce and Amazon have been rocking up for a year now with packages labelled for internet firms that don’t have a British address.
The dodge saves shady overseas internet sellers from stumping up high shipping fees for faulty or unwanted returns to warehouses across the globe.
It also means some companies can claim they do not need to refund customers as they did not get the item back, even though they gave a deliberately fake address.
When The Sun visited 221B Baker Street this week, we saw Parcelforce try to deliver two packages after tricksters had them routed there.
A female driver attempted to hand over a cardboard box, which staff inspected before rejecting it.
The parcel, which weighed only 100 grams, had been dispatched from an address in Beauvais, northern France, and was supposed to be returned to Indian firm Mandasa Technologies.
The web tech company claims to help small firms “establish, market, optimise and develop their e-commerce businesses”.
But it has no London office and is based in India’s Madhya Pradesh region — some 4,500 miles away.
We have asked the firm to comment on their use of the UK address.
There is no suggestion the courier firms are doing anything wrong.
The baffled Parcelforce worker we saw try to make the delivery told us: “It seems bizarre people would return it here.
“I noticed the address was 221B Baker Street, but I assumed there’s maybe another company works here.
Peter JordanStaff inspected the package before rejecting it[/caption]
Peter JordanMuseum staff revealed the rate of fake deliveries has soared in the past six months[/caption]
“They told me they wouldn’t take the delivery, so now it will just be held at a warehouse or sent off for donation or auction.”
‘Obviously fake’
Museum gift shop manager Mohamed Ahmed, who has worked there for seven years, revealed the rate of fake deliveries had soared in the past six months.
He told The Sun: “The first time we got a parcel, we opened it and it was just some cables, so we realised quickly it wasn’t for us.
“Now all our staff know to just reject them.
“It is annoying and confusing, but this is the best-known address in London.
“It needs someone like Sherlock Holmes to solve where they are all coming from and what we can do to stop it.
“We have tried to ask Amazon and eBay for help, but they say it’s difficult to stop each one.”
Worker Luc Grant, who poses as a Victorian copper with Sherlock fans outside the museum, added: “I see the vans try to deliver things quite often when I’m here.
“This is such a well-known address, but none of the packages has anything to do with us.”
I see the vans try to deliver things quite often when I’m here
Worker Luc Grant, who poses as a Victorian copper with Sherlock fans outside the museum
Exasperated museum staff have been driven to ask Royal Mail to stop delivering items not addressed directly to the museum.
Daniel Thackray, 43, spotted Sherlock’s address on product return details from a China-based seller last week.
The dad-of-one, from Portsmouth, flagged the ploy to eBay after making his purchase through their site.
But he said they told him he still had to follow the seller’s instructions if he wanted his money back.
Daniel explained: “I ordered a gift for my son, but it arrived broken and was obviously fake.
“When they sent over information to send the product back, my wife laughed and told me that was Sherlock’s address.
“She’d just finished watching the TV series last week.
Peter JordanLabel showing the Indian firm using Holmes’ address[/caption]
“When I called the museum, the staff knew straight away what I was talking about.
“They sounded like it was the bane of their lives.
“These scammers could have chosen any random address, but they had to choose Sherlock’s house.
“It might be the only British address they know.
“They actually don’t want to get these returns back, so it’s easier to send them there.”
I ordered a gift for my son, but it arrived broken and was obviously fake
Daniel Thackray
Both eBay and Amazon told The Sun they would urgently investigate the use of 221B Baker Street as a returns address.
An eBay spokesman added it would give Daniel a full refund, insisting: “We expect our sellers to provide a high standard of customer service.”
An Amazon spokesman said: “We are investigating, and if anyone has incorrectly listed this address for returns, we will take immediate action.
“We apologise for any inconvenience and will be arranging the collection of the packages.”
PLOY IS SO HARD TO STOP
FOREIGN companies use false UK return addresses to avoid having to ship broken, faulty or fake goods to warehouses halfway around the world.
Most do not want dodgy products back anyway, and this saves cash, time and space.
But the ploy means innocent Brits, including staff at the Sherlock Holmes Museum, are being caught in the crossfire of the cyber-fraud epidemic.
In some cases, customers have been told by web retailers that they will not get a refund unless they package up their product and send it off, even if the return address is obviously fraudulent, fake or a nationally recognised landmark.
Professor Mark Button, director of the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime at the University of Portsmouth (above), said: “The scale at which online shopping fraud now operates is so big, not even Sherlock Holmes could solve it.
“There’s been a 33 per cent increase in fraud cases and the biggest driver is cyber fraud.
“In cases like this, there are two victims – the customer, who loses out, and the museum, who have to deal with a huge amount of hassle.
“There will be other addresses used by these companies which aren’t notable, and in those cases it might be a family or a small business being harassed.”
Professor Button warned that if UK firms tried the same scam, they would likely have cops at their door.
But he admitted: “When foreign companies are involved, nobody really has the power to stop them.”
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