MORE than £1,500 was made fraudulently by a man pretending to be a Big Issue magazine seller in Oxford.

Laurenitiu Paun, 34, admitted to selling issues of the street newspaper at an inflated amount despite not being an authorised seller.

The Big Issue exists to offer homeless people, or individuals at risk of homelessness, the opportunity to earn a legitimate income by selling the magazine.

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However, Paun was not homeless and not a legitimate seller of the magazine when he was caught making hundreds of pounds selling the newspaper between January and April last year.

He was selling copies for up to £100 when the price of the magazine is £4.  

Paun, of Bourne Road, Slough, was charged with 19 counts of fraud by false representation by ‘selling a copy of the Big Issue which he was not authorised to sell, for an inflated amount’.

He made a total of £1,510.

For this, he was also charged with one count of acquiring criminal property, namely the money made from the fraud.

The fraudster was sentenced at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he was handed a community order to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay an £80 fine.

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He was also ordered to pay £50 compensation.

The incidents took place across Oxford City Centre, including Botley Road, between January 21 and April 7.

Paun also made fraudulent sales in High Wycombe and Loudwater.

It is understood Paun had been removed as a vendor for the Big Issue but continued to sell the magazines for inflated prices when unauthorised. 

Catherine Parsons, manager director at the Big Issue Changing Lives, said: “At the Big Issue, we take these matters very seriously and, as such, in line with our safeguarding policy, the individual in question stopped being a vendor for the Big Issue some time ago and will never be able to take advantage of our business model again by selling the magazine. 

 “As soon as we were alerted to reports of this individual defrauding people, we acted swiftly by banning him as a vendor and we have worked tirelessly with the police to complete their investigations which ultimately secured this prosecution.

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 “We also advise members of the public to make sure they buy a Big Issue from someone who is showing a valid, in date, badge, wearing a red Big Issue tabard and who is selling the current edition of the publication.

“We would also urge the public to always check the amount on the card reader before agreeing to the transaction.”

Oxford Mail: Yvonne Pinner, project manager for the Oxford Homeless Movement Yvonne Pinner, project manager for the Oxford Homeless Movement (Image: Oxfordshire Homeless Movement)

Yvonne Pinner, project manager for the Oxford Homeless Movement, added: “It is of course very sad that this has happened when registered Big Issue sellers work hard and the ones I know of in Oxford are a lovely group.

"People shouldn't stop their kindness in giving to local sellers.”