CONMEN in Sheffield tricked two companies out of £56,000 of plant hire machinery in a sophisticated scam.
A cash reward of £4,000 is being offered for the safe return of the equipment stolen from a South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire firm.
Hather Plant Hire Ltd, based on Aldwarke Road, Rotherham, is putting up £2,000 for the safe return of a JCB tele
scopic handler stolen last month.
The machine, worth £26,000, was stolen after the firm arranged for it to be delivered to a site on London Road, Sheffield.
A man claiming to work for a flooring company handed over a cheque to hire the machinery.
But when it bounced a few days later checks revealed that the site had been closed down and the firm claiming to have been operating there had vanished - along with the machinery.
Another firm, Server True Ltd, from Old Basford, Nottinghamshire, fell for the same scam and delivered a fork lift truck, valued at around £30,000, to the same site.
It too is offering a £2,000 reward for the safe return of its equipment.
Matthew Rawlinson, of Sheffield-based insurance firm Joseph W Burleigh and Partners, said: "The firms affected by this scam did preliminary checks and the company wanting to hire the equipment appeared to be legit, but when the cheques bounced and they visited the address they delivered to in Sheffield they realised they had been had.
"Plant theft is a major problem, figures from 2006 show that 16,301 items were stolen but only 368 were ever recovered. One had 17 items stolen and the losses forced the business to close down.
"I suspect this is a highly organised outfit stealing to order and shipping these items out of the country, where there is huge demand. More needs to be done to tackle the problem."
A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "We can confirm we are investigating an incident of theft and fraud from two separate plant hire companies based in Nottingham and Rotherham.
"A company based in Nottingham delivered a fork lift truck to business premises on London Road in Sheffield. On the same day a JCB was also delivered to the same address from a Rotherham Plant Hire Company.
"A man described as black, of a medium build, wearing a black leather jacket and jeans accepted the machinery. The premises were later discovered boarded up and the machinery is still outstanding."
Anyone with information should call PC Emma Parsons at Attercliffe Police Station on 0114 296 3058 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
For details on how to claim the reward call Mr Rawlinson on 07753 670 790.
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