How to take on the scammers yourself

An international crackdown on e-mail scammers and telephone fraudsters has led to at least 80 arrests and the seizure of almost £8 million worth of fake cheques and postal orders heading for the UK.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) has begun to tackle the multi-billion pound industry of mass marketing cons.

The best known instances are international e-mail scams promising vast wealth in return for financial details, but there are also hundreds of subtler frauds, for example asking victims to call a premium rate number in return for a non-existent prize. The Office of Fair Trading estimates that the cons cost the UK more than £3.5 billion every year.

The Nigerian “419” scammers are the most notorious. Named after the relevant section of the Nigerian penal code, the “419” schemers win victims’ trust with stories of invented royalty or politicians offering a share in a huge sum of money in exchange for a little practical help.

Details of victims’ bank accounts are gathered or “administration” fees levied and a raft of fake bank documents and cheques are sent, the fraudsters are then able to extract hundreds if not thousands of pounds from their victims.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, said: “This type of fraud is a despicable crime that is costing UK victims huge sums of money every year, many of whom are elderly or vulnerable, and causing emotional and financial harm to them and their families. It will not be tolerated.

“I completely support the significant effort being led by the Serious Organised Crime Agency to raise public awareness of this crime and in building stronger international relations to bring these offenders to justice. I especially thank the Nigerian authorities for their help.”

Soca is running a co-ordinated international operation with police in the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Nigeria. A month-long operation in Lagos, Nigeria allowed British officers to seize over 4,500 illicit documents including fake cheques, postal orders and fraudulent passports.

Paul Evans, Soca Executive Director said: “Mass marketing fraud is a low value, high volume crime. Relatively small amounts of money quickly add up to big profits for the fraudsters.

“Organised criminals respect no borders and international cooperation is vital when tackling this type of fraud. We are working with partners across the globe to tackle the fraudsters wherever they may be - from Lagos to London and Amsterdam to Alabama.”

Around five arrests have been made in the UK, but most of those were involved in scams targeting America. The criminals very rarely work on victims in the country they are in.

Many of the international criminal gangs are run by West African criminals based in the Netherlands. There have been 60 arrests in the Netherlands, 16 in Nigeria and one in Canada.

Other scams seen in the UK include victims being tricked into paying a fee in order to collect a supposed prize. In one common scam a text message is sent to someone telling them to call a number where a recorded message will often promise a cash prize, but the caller must call or text further numbers to claim it. The calls and texts are charged at a premium rate.

The Canadian National Lottery scam has also been employed in the UK. Victims are told they must, under Canadian law, pay one per cent of their “winnings”. Fake customs officials and lawyers then materialise and invent more claims for money until the “lucky winner” realises he has been hoaxed.

Mike Bowron, the City of London Police Commissioner, said: “The message to the fraudster is clear, we are tracking you and will vigorously pursue those suspected of involvement in this type of crime not just in the UK but globally.”

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