Hounslow police warn of cash scam as innocent shoppers are being fleeced by 'organised gangs'

Police are warning people in Hounslow not to be fooled into trying to win cash in a scam game involving one of the oldest tricks in the book… three cups and a ball.

We’ve all fallen for this simple playground ruse – trying to guess which cup the ball is under only to find slight of hand has whisked it away.

But this time you could be scammed out of serious amounts of money by taking part in the game, by gangs operating across Hounslow and surrounding areas, police and council staff are warning.

To entice people to play and dupe them into thinking they have a chance of winning, one of the gang acts as a member of the public and is shown to ‘win’ the game.

The scam is being run by organised criminal gangs who operate across London and the South East of England and a number of local councils and police forces have been targeting these criminals, making arrests when possible.

Councillor Katherine Dunne, cabinet member for communities and workforce, Hounslow Council said: “We know that a number of visitors to the high street have already fallen victim to the ‘cup and ball’ scam, we are urging residents not to become their next victim.

“These are trained criminals who have been taught exactly how to run this scam to ensure they always win and take your money. Whilst this may seem like a game, it is operated by organised criminal gangs. We are warning residents and anyone visiting the area that they will never win so they should not participate under any circumstances.”

Inspector Dee O’Brien of Hounslow Neighbourhoods Policing, added: “Officers from the West Area Command Unit based at Hounslow police station are working closely with the local authority enforcement teams and business owners in the town centre to rid the streets of these gangs of fraudsters.

"Police have already made a number of arrests of offenders running this scam. The offenders are preying on good intentioned members of the public who lose their money to these gangs.

“Hounslow police will not tolerate this activity and offenders will be prosecution once caught. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and avoid anyone running these games however genuine they may seem. We also urge the public to report such activity to police. We continue to monitor and patrol the town centre and will take robust action against these gangs.”

If you have information about this fraud, contact Hounslow Police by calling 101. If you have been a victim of this scam or any other type of scam, you should report it to Trading Standards on the 020 8583 5149.