Twenty-two arrests and more than £250,000 seized in fraud operation

More than 20 arrests were made and £279,000 in cash and assets seized in a month as part of a national crackdown on fraud.

Kent Police took part in the Operation Henhouse campaign during February, a National Economic Crime Centre initiative that provides funding for police to undertake additional operational activity against fraudsters.

As part of the ongoing work, officers also returned nearly £1 million to a fraud victim who was tricked out of the money in an investment scam and seized a Harley Davidson motorbike worth £21,000 suspected to have been purchased from criminal gains.

Arrests

In total 22 people were arrested for a range of different frauds, including pretending to be a police officer, a solar panel installation scam and credit card fraud.

A suspected rogue trader and a person believed to be defrauding people through online vehicle sales have also been sent cease and desist letters while officers monitor their activities.

A further six non-custodial interviews were carried out on people suspected to be involved in fraudulent activity. Officers also carried out 12 warrants on properties around the county.

More than 30 presentations were also delivered by officers around the county to raise awareness of fraud.

Detective Inspector Marc Makin said: ‘Anyone can become a victim of fraud which is why we work tirelessly throughout the year tracking down and arresting suspects.
‘Campaigns like these give us an opportunity to focus our efforts on bringing those offenders to justice and providing advice and support to people on how to better protect themselves from potential fraudsters.’

How to avoid becoming a victim of fraud

• Always use the ABC of scam awareness. Never Assume or Believe a caller, email or text is genuine. Always Confirm by contacting a trusted relative, friend, your bank's fraud department or the police to check it is genuine.
• Remember the police will never call you asking you to assist with an investigation by withdrawing cash for them to collect, or requesting to collect your bank card. If you receive a call purporting to be from the police and are unsure it is genuine, ring them back via 101 using a different telephone.
• Avoid clicking on links in emails and text messages from unknown sources, as they are liable to be a scam.
• Always use a strong and separate password for your email address by using three random words.

For more information on fraud and advice on how to combat it, visit the advice section of our website.