Tax scam reports soar by 10% after Mail’s exposé of fraud gang
REPORTS of tax conmen have soared by 10 per cent since the Daily Mail exposed the gang behind the telephone fraud.
Thousands of victims have contacted HMRC to say they were targeted by bogus officials threatening them with jail unless they immediately repaid non-existent tax debts.
Treasury minister Mel Stride said the rise in reports was ‘largely thanks to the Mail’s investigation’, which has encouraged more people to come forward.
Mr Stride has also written to Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to demand diplomatic action to tackle the crooks who target 10,000 Britons a day. Indian police in Ahmedabad, where the criminals operate, say they have arrested key members of the gang. They have asked the Mail to pass on details of victims as they build their case.
HMRC staff have dealt with 60,000 scam reports in the six months to January – up 360 per cent on the previous half-year.
Hundreds of readers have contacted the Mail directly, many have lost life savings and now suffer from depression and panic attacks after being swindled.
The vast scale of the crime emerged after undercover reporters infiltrated the 18-strong gang at its fake call centre. The fraudsters, who boasted they did not fear the British authorities, select victims at random – often using the online BT phone directory.
Following a script, they demand immediate payment of fake debts with the threat of arrest, jail, seized homes, frozen pension payments and bank accounts.
Mr Stride, who was ‘horrified’ by undercover footage of the scammers, is demanding urgent action. In his letter to the Foreign Secretary, he said: ‘I would be grateful for assurance that we are bringing to bear the full reach of our diplomatic network so that these criminal gangs are brought to justice, no matter where they operate.’
Police in Ahmedabad confirmed they have arrested gang leader Krishna Borah and two so-called ‘closers’, who reporters filmed tormenting British victims into handing over money online – and boasting about their tricks. One victim was Jane Ripley, who was forced to borrow thousands of pounds from a friend after being threatened with jail by the scammers last September.
The 64-year-old from Brighton endured a three day ordeal as she struggled to raise the cash. She said: ‘It was terrifying. I cannot begin to describe the acute distress and trauma I was suffering.’