The police have released an image of a man who they believe who was involved in mandate fraud of £280,000.

The 40-year-old Sri Lankan man, who has links to Mitcham, could be involved in a scam which led to the victim transferring the huge sum of money into a bank account for goods they never received.

Mandate fraud is when someone gets you to change a direct debit, standing order or bank transfer mandate, by pretending to be an organisation you make regular payments to, for example a subscription or membership organisation or your business supplier.

Detective Constable Michael Esangbedo, Specialist Crime Command, said:

"This is an incident where a significant amount of money has been lost. We take offences of this nature extremely seriously and are keen to talk to the man in the photo we're releasing today.

"I'd urge anyone who recognises him, or who knows where he is, to get in touch with us. Your information could make all the difference in our investigation."

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD2139/16DEC20.

Information can also be provided, anonymously, by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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