Frauds

Fraudsters who prey on people’s desire for romance have conned their victims out of £317 million over the past four years, new figures have revealed.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/surge-in-romance-fraud-sees-%C2%A3316-million-taken-from-victims/ar-AA17mSJZ

A tenant who fraudulently obtained council housing by lying about the fact she owned a property has been jailed for 32 months.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/crime/2023/02/10/tenant-who-fraudulently-obtained-council-housing-in-dudley-by-lying-that-she-owned-a-property-is-locked-up-for-32-months/

Almost three in 10 (29%) people who have met others online in the past 12 months say they were asked to give or lend money to someone they had not met in person, according to a survey.

https://uk.style.yahoo.com/warning-romance-scammers-issued-ahead-070016552.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEeakPy27U1KFa8YGb4vG1NfJXXZl1Z5yvC06QV5UA6_DltFN4rtXcZR0kIGTsrJe2IiGIqnM83PVToZIaYZJEbFNfiCfkBQp_P-COwUOCM1Vddff4ZnCWqLZcUMLFJn7e3sYViddsdu7vKX9VQ917Icgyomv9bcFiq2zgdDIcZk

A police operation has led to the arrest of two men suspected of courier fraud.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/wyre-forest/stourport/2023/02/07/two-men-arrested-as-part-of-courier-fraud-investigation/

The amount of money lost to romance scams rose 95% between 2020 and 2022, data reveals.

https://www.yourmoney.com/saving-banking/romance-fraud-losses-up-95-in-three-years/

Detectives are appealing for those affected to come forward as they warn the fraud often goes unreported.

https://news.stv.tv/scotland/police-scotland-warn-of-online-romance-scams-as-millions-lost-to-fraudsters

POLICE in the Scottish Borders are warning people to beware of romance scams ahead of Valentine’s Day as new data reveals victims have lost millions of pounds to fraud.

https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/23300568.around-2m-per-month-lost-romance-fraud-uk-say-police/

A “relentless fraudster” who pocketed £2.3million in a cold-calling scam that saw elderly people lose their retirement funds has been jailed for nine years. Conman Clint Canning and his wife Eleise Wallace lived a “lavish lifestyle” enjoying luxury holidays and buying expensive watches, Southwark Crown Court heard.

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/uk-world-news/relentless-fraudster-pocketed-23m-cold-26154306?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

A bogus travel agent who conned hundreds of holidaymakers in a £2.6m scam has been jailed for nine years.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-64510731

Five people have been convicted by the Tribunal Judiciaire de Bordeaux for their part in a huge scale wine fraud that saw nearly 35,000 hectolitres of Spanish wine passed off as French and even of Bordeaux appellations.

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2023/02/suspects-convicted-by-court-in-major-bordeaux-wine-fraud-case/