Richmond artist Lucy Pittaway is appealing for the public’s help to recover one of her original paintings after it was stolen in a sophisticated credit card fraud worth almost £7,000.
The original artwork, titled Yorkshire Welcomes the World, was taken after fraudsters posing as genuine customers purchased the painting using stolen credit card details before having it delivered to a Liverpool address.
Lucy, who has been recognised by the Fine Art Trade Guild as the UK’s most popular published artist, said she was left devastated by the loss of the painting, which is part of her popular cycling-themed collection.
The painting was bought over the telephone in October last year. At the time, neither the bank nor the card payment provider identified the transaction as suspicious, allowing the sale to go ahead.
The artwork was delivered in good faith to the address supplied by the buyer, but it was later discovered the payment had been made using stolen credit cards.
After uncovering the fraud, Lucy’s business reported the matter to Merseyside Police, North Yorkshire Police and Action Fraud. However, she said no investigation has followed, leaving the business with no formal route to recover the painting.
The theft has had a significant financial impact on the North Yorkshire-based family business. The payment was reversed after the fraud was identified, while the loss is not covered by insurance, leaving the company almost £7,000 out of pocket.
Lucy said: “We have changed our procedures to ensure this can never happen again.
“But in the meantime, we are asking for the community’s help. This theft has caused a financial and emotional impact on a small business that takes pride in supporting creativity and employment in the North of England.”
She added that she understood the complexities involved in investigating fraud that crossed police force boundaries but felt she had little option other than to appeal directly to the public.
“We know that the matter is a complex one. When a crime of this nature takes place, it’s not clear which jurisdiction it falls under from an investigatory point of view and we’re in no way blaming the police.
“But with no investigation forthcoming, we feel we’ve no choice but to appeal directly for information. We just want the painting back.”
Describing the emotional impact of the theft, Lucy said: “It’s obviously shocking to lose the money, but when I think of all the time it took me to paint the picture, the emotional impact of the staff that took the payments in good faith, delivering the picture all the way to Liverpool, and the time it has taken trying to contact relevant authorities to see what support was available, it’s been a really unpleasant journey.
“We’re a small, family-run business and a loss like this has a significant impact.”
Anyone who is offered the painting for sale, knows of its whereabouts or has information that could help recover it is asked to email info@lucypittaway.co.uk. The business said all information will be treated in confidence.
