West Mercia Police carried out 30 warrants and seized over ÂŁ500k last month (February) as part of a national crackdown on fraud.
Throughout February, the force took part in Operation Henhouse, a national fraud intensification campaign led by the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) in partnership with the City of London Police.
The month of action saw officers from West Mercia Police’s Economic Crime Unit (ECU) conduct warrants at stores, such as mini marts, which were suspected of being used as a front for money laundering across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire.
During the month, six people were arrested for immigration offences, 18 Account Freezing Order were given amounting to ÂŁ487k, and illicit goods with a street value of ÂŁ29,720 were seized by trading standards, an equivalent retail value of ÂŁ74,141. Officers also seized over ÂŁ8k cash during the month of action.
The ECU was supported by colleagues from Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT), Neighbourhood Crime Fighting Teams (NCFT) and the Local Policing Priority Team (LPPT) along with partner agencies including Trading Standards, Immigration and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS).
Detective Inspector Dan Fenn from the ECU, said:“Fraud covers a wide range of offences, and more and more we are seeing organised crime groups (OCGs) commit complex, well-structured and well-funded crimes; often using what appear to be genuine businesses to hide money obtained through criminality, such as fraud.
“Intensified periods of action such as this build on the activity we carry out day in day out throughout the year to send a strong message to suspected criminals that no matter where you are, we can identify you and we will work hard to bring offenders to justice.
“It’s a collective effort though and members of the public can always help; we all get calls, texts and emails we suspect are fraudulent and we just ignore them or delete them, which is off course, the right thing to. However, by also reporting these to Action Fraud, they are better placed to shut down the scams, identify those responsible and ultimately help ensure other people don’t become victims of fraud.”
The public can take steps to help protect themselves against fraud. Be sure to protect your online accounts from being compromised by criminals:
- Create strong, unique passwords for accounts.
- Always use 2-step verification if offered.
- Use your browser’s password manager to safely store passwords.
If you have fallen victim to fraud or cyber-crime, report it any time at www.actionfraud.police.uk. For more details on how to report a fraud or attempted fraud go to www.actionfraud.police.uk/contact-us and for more information on fraud visit our website.
