The ECRC works closely with local policing to ensure that our members benefit from the free tools and services offered by local policing.
One valuable tool is the Kent Fraud Email Alert System (K'FAs), created by Stephen Kelly, the Fraud Prevent and Protect Officer for Kent Police. This system provides weekly alerts to inform the public and businesses about current scams and how to best protect themselves.
The K'FAs reach hundreds and thousands, not just in Kent but in other areas up and down the country as we are all affected by similar offences. The ECRC publishes Stephen Kelly's weekly K'FAs for our members so you can stay informed and learn about the latest threats targeting businesses and the general public. For further information about fraud, visit Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.
Courier Fraud
These type of offences are still being reported daily across Kent, so please remain vigilant.
The criminals are employing various methods from posing as Kent Police offers to multiple Kent Police stations stating that they have arrested someone in possession of the victim's bank card to requesting financial information or asking victims to withdraw cash for a courier to collect as evidence.
If you get any calls like this, STOP, it is a scam.
The police will NEVER ask you for financial details on the phone or request to collect your card or cash or gold as part of an investigation.
Remember the ABC of Scam Awareness and Never Assume or Believe a call is genuine and always Confirm.
If you get an unexpected call from someone claiming to be Police or any other organisation, then take their details and end the call. Then call back using a different phone if available. If another phone is not available, then wait 5 minutes and ring a family member or friend to ensure the line has been disconnected and then ring 101. Never call a number they have supplied and never ring 999 whilst still on the call with them. You must always disconnect the call first before ringing 101.
If you think that you may have been a victim of this or any other type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
For further information about Fraud, visit our website at Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.
You will also find valuable information from the Home Office at Stop! Think Fraud - How to stay safe from scams.
Courier Fraudster Taken Out by Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU)
A man from London has been charged, following an investigation into a series of courier fraud reports across Eastern and Southern England.
On Friday (7th February), Qays Akhtar, 30, of Grasmere Avenue, Wembley, was charged with eight counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation as part of an operation led by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).
The investigation follows reports in Dorset, Hampshire, Kent and Norfolk of a man encouraging people to withdraw and hand over cash as part of a fictional law enforcement operation.
On Thursday (6th February), detectives from ERSOU's Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), working closely with Hertfordshire and Norfolk Constabularies, carried out warrants in London, Hatfield, and Norwich.
Several digital devices and documents were seized for further investigation, and two men and a woman aged in their 20s and 30s were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
Akhtar was subsequently charged and remanded and is next due to appear at Norwich Crown Court on Friday 7th March.
A woman and a man remain on bail pending further enquiries.
If you think that you may have been a victim of this or any other type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
For further information about Fraud, visit our website at Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.
You will also find valuable information from the Home Office at Stop! Think Fraud - How to stay safe from scams.
Five on Remand for Distraction Thefts
Investigators have tracked down and charged multiple suspects after customers visiting banks in North and West Kent were the victims of alleged distraction thefts.
Kent Police was contacted after people who had made large withdrawals from their accounts were targeted in Chatham, Dartford, Gravesend and Sevenoaks. The incidents happened between Thursday 3 October 2024 and Monday 3 February 2025.
The victims, who were aged between 49 and 82, were engaged in conversation by people they did not know before their cash was reportedly stolen.
Each incident was investigated and on Friday 7 February, officers travelled to Hemel Hempstead where five suspects were arrested in a vehicle.
John Ruiz, Maria Carmen, Solomon Rondon, Miguel Perez and Matias Vega, all of no fixed address, were later charged with conspiracy to steal.
Mr Ruiz, 39, Ms Carmen, 49, Mr Rondon, 49, Mr Perez, 31, and Mr Vega, 31, were remanded in custody to appear before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Monday 10 February.
However, please remain vigilant when making large withdrawals of cash at your Bank, as this is a growing trend in the UK.
You can also ask your Bank to take you into a side office out of public sight to receive your money.
If you think that you may have been a victim of this or any other type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
For further information about Fraud, visit our website at Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.
You will also find valuable information from the Home Office at Stop! Think Fraud - How to stay safe from scams.
More Criminals Taken to Task
Financial investigators have returned nearly £1 million to a victim who was tricked out of the money in an investment scam. The return of the funds took place as Kent Police joins forces around the country in a month-long initiative to arrest fraudsters and disrupt their criminal activity. Kent Police's Economic Crime Unit have been carrying out enquiries into a company registered to an address in the North Kent area.
Suspicious Accounts
Financial flows in and out of the company's accounts were suspicious and did not seem to match the firm's stated description as a 'software publishing and technology consultancy'. This led to financial investigators freezing around £960,000 in four accounts held by the firm.
Further analysis of the money coming into the company and exchanges between currency and cryptocurrency led to investigators speaking to partners in the UK and abroad. Together, they established that a victim in Canada had paid the money to a firm he was tricked into believing was a legitimate British investment company.
Funds Frozen
On 5 February 2025, financial investigators successfully applied for the frozen funds to be returned to the victim in Canada at a hearing at Sevenoaks Magistrate's Court. The court application was part of a range of activity taking place in February under Operation Henhouse, a National Economic Crime Centre initiative in partnership with City of London Police, which provides funding to forces to undertake additional operational activity against fraudsters.
Between Sunday 2 and Monday 10 February, officers arrested seven people linked to a range of separate frauds, including pretending to be a police officer, a solar panel installation scam, and credit card fraud. Six of those arrested have been released pending further investigation and another has been released without charge.
A suspected rogue trader and a person believed to be defrauding people through online vehicle sales have also been sent cease and desist letters whilst officers monitor their activities.
Detective Inspector Marc Makin, of Kent Police's Economic Crime Unit, said:
'The return of nearly £1 million to a fraud victim in Canada shows the lengths our investigators will go to while investigating crimes that often cross borders and lead financial trails around the world. 'The further arrests we have carried out this week show we will be relentless in pursuit of those in the county who try to scam others and profit from lies and deception. 'We will continue to work with other forces through Op Henhouse to bring fraudsters to justice and, where possible, return stolen money to victims.'
Job Application Scam - Text Message
A colleague recently received the below scam text message inviting him to apply for a job paying a considerable daily rate and that he needed to simply click on a link. However, this would have taken him to a realistic looking website where they would have looked to steal his personal and financial data.
'Hello, I am Jennifer from the TikTok Human Resources Department. We have reviewed your resume, and it aligns perfectly with our requirements. We are pleased to invite you to become our part-time partner, with a salary of £300-£600 per day. Please contact me for job details [link]'
Always be suspicious of too good to be true offers.
For further information and advice about recruitment scams visit Action Fraud at - Recruitment Scams | Action Fraud.
If you think that you may have been a victim of this or any other type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
For further information about Fraud, visit our website at Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.
You will also find valuable information from the Home Office at Stop! Think Fraud - How to stay safe from scams.
How can the ECRC support?
By joining the ECRC as a free member, your organisation will be supported in making the small changes that make the biggest difference when it comes to cyber resilience. Becoming a free member means you will receive the latest cyber resilience guidance via email, which will drip feed you ways in which you can improve your cyber resilience without costing any money.
The ECRC website also contains several links to helpful National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) resources, which are all free, up-to-date, and easy to use. Tools such as Exercise in a Box and the NCSC Cyber Action Plan are particularly useful in terms of identifying areas where you could improve your cybersecurity. They also have many informative guides that are sector specific, which will give you useful and detailed information.
If you would like more information about how the ECRC can help your organisation specifically, please book a chat with us today!
Reporting a live cyber-attack 24/7:
If you are a business, charity or other organisation which is currently suffering a live cyber-attack (in progress) please call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 immediately. This service is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Reporting a cyber-attack which is not ongoing:
Please report online to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. You can report cybercrime online at any time using the online reporting tool, which will guide you through simple questions to identify what has happened. Action Fraud advisors can also provide the help, support, and advice you need.
Alternatively, you can call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (textphone 0300 123 2050)
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