Two men who sold bogus Skegness caravan holidays to families have been jailed.
Kyle Simmen, from Worksop, Nottinghamshire, and Wayne Hardy, from Chesterfield, pleaded guilty to 28 counts of fraud between September 2016 and April 2019.
The criminals also sold mobile phones and rental property listings online, but left customers out of pocket when they didn't receive the goods they purchased.
Hardy and Siemen claimed to be renting caravans at popular sites across the Lincolnshire coast such as Coastfields in Skegness and Kingfisher Caravan Park and Coral Beach in Ingoldmells, Derbyshire Times reports.
The pair also admitted to claiming to be a relative of the landlord of a property in Barlborough in Derbyshire and instructing building work, which was never paid for.
Detective Constable Liz Cross said: "When we think about fraud we often consider the loss of money or goods, but rarely do we think about the emotional and psychological impact this crime can have upon victims.
"The victims in this case have lost well-earned family holidays, a roof over their head, a means of staying in contact with their loved ones.
"In some instances, victims have been left in significant financial hardship thanks to the actions of these two men who wished to make a quick buck by playing on the trust of those they ‘sold’ services to.
"Fraud is about much more than money or goods, it can have a lasting and detrimental impact on those who are unfortunate enough to be targeted by scammers.
"I hope that this sentence offers some semblance of justice to those who were affected by the actions of Hardy and Simmen."
Wayne Hardy, 39, from Trinity Close in Newbold, Chesterfield was handed a four-and-a-half-year jail term and Kyle Simmen, 23, from Dukeries Crescent, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, received a three-year sentence.
