Police Tracking Phone Number

[BobbyBobBob]

I'm selling an expensive item (£650) and the buyers are bringing cash. They have been in contact via mobile phone.......I'm just a bit anxious that the cash might be counterfeit.........if that is the case, and I contact the police, would they be able to track the person from their mobile phone?

Thanks

[Graham-W]

If it were a contract phone, possibly.
If it is a Pay as you go, no chance.

[Prudie]

Is there a reason why you are concerned? I thought lots of people pay in cash sums like that,often more, cars for example, I have.

[ubasses]

You could try and reduce the risk by buying a counterfeit detector.

Some on this website.
http://www.personalalarms.com/acatalog/CounterfeitDetection.html?gclid=CIODpcmc5cUCFQH4wgoddm0AJg

[Buenchico]

Fraudsters are likely to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM for a quid, put the minimum top-up value on it, use it for just one transaction (ensuring that they're nowhere near their home when they use their phone) and then simply throw it away. That renders them virtually untraceable.

The police can use the provisions of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to force phone companies to release data about mobile phone use but they'd probably be unlikely to do so in the circumstances you refer to. (They'd normally only be used for things like counter-terrorism operations or major drug smuggling investigations).

[fiction-factory]

When I sold a car for cash the buyer handed over the cash at a bank (actually it was at Tesco bank till at a Tesco store) and I paid it in to my account. Once the bank accepted the cash I handed over the keys and documents.
I'm not sure whether there would be money laundering questions nowadays though

[lcg]

ummmm.....check the cash for the water marks (by holding them up to the light and seeing them in the note), that they have intact threads through them and insist on used notes only. you will be able to tell whether the notes are real or not from this alone.

[lcg]

oh....and you could ask them for photo id and proof of address. a real buyer would be only too happy to show you these documents quickly to prove they are genuine if you explain and perhaps add that you are cautious because you have been ripped off before.

[BRIGHT SPARK]

ff....I did the same as you a few years back.The cashier..(Barclays) said if any of the notes were later found to be counterfeit the value would be debited from my account.

[meglet]

Surely a bank cashier would just put it in their till, how would they know who it had come from?

[BRIGHT SPARK]

Meg.......because they band up large amounts and put your name and a/c no on the band.