A 17-year-old aspiring entrepreneur from Gloucester has fallen victim to a sophisticated scam, losing almost £4,000 in counterfeit banknotes after attempting to sell a brand-new drone. Gergely Tárkány-Szűcs, who moved to Brockworth from Hungary just 18 months ago, had invested £3,100 of his savings in a DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drone, hoping to resell it for a profit.
Gergely’s journey into e-commerce began modestly, buying and selling items such as clothing. After earning enough through this venture, he decided to buy the high-end drone at an online auction with plans to make a few hundred pounds in profit. The DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise boasts a 56x zoom camera and a 45-minute flight time, making it a sought-after gadget.
When Gergely listed the unopened drone for £3,800, an interested buyer responded but insisted on paying in cash, despite Gergely’s preference for a bank transfer. On March 14, accompanied by his father, Gergely traveled from Brockworth to Birmingham to meet the buyer at a car park near Costa Coffee.
READ MORE: Northamptonshire End Gloucestershire’s Unbeaten T20 Run with Dominant Win
READ MORE: Doctor Shares Simple Tricks to Sleep Better in Hot Weather, Including Wearing Damp Socks
Although initially optimistic, Gergely’s trust was shattered when the buyer handed over cash in an envelope but refused to allow him to count it before quickly leaving with the drone. It wasn’t until Gergely compared the notes to a genuine £20 note that he noticed subtle signs the money was fake—blurry print, off-color shades, and repeating serial numbers.
“For days, I was shocked and couldn’t sleep. I had only wanted to make a small profit and instead ended up with worthless notes,” Gergely shared.
He immediately reported the incident to West Mercia Police on March 15 but has yet to receive any meaningful update. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Gergely has established a GoFundMe campaign to try and recover some of his lost money.
This experience has made him reluctant to continue buying and selling online, but he also wants to use his story as a warning to others. Gergely advises anyone engaging in similar transactions to always bring a genuine banknote along for comparison, carefully check cash before handing over goods, and scrutinize serial numbers for any irregularities.
“If I can prevent others from going through what I faced, that would be a real victory for me,” he said.
Meanwhile, West Mercia Police confirmed that after reviewing the case, it was closed as it did not meet their fraud investigation criteria due to the absence of suspects and insufficient evidence.