Multiple charges brought in bank fraud investigation

Strathclyde police have charged nearly 30 people with money laundering in an investigation into allegations of bank fraud.

More than 200 police officers were involved in the detailed operation, which culminated in the search of 42 addresses in the Strathclyde force area yesterday.

Police confirmed that of the 30 people interviewed and 28 people charged with money laundering offences, though this figure is expected to increase as the investigation continues.

The investigation, which was launched several months ago, uncovered evidence that recorded confidential personal banking security details of bank customers had been accessed. This information was then used for a variety of criminal means, including identity theft, fraudulent credit and loan applications and balance transfers.

Head of CID, Detective Chief Superintendent Ruaraidh Nicolson, confirmed that almost two million pounds was obtained in the scam and over one hundred members of the public lost money from their bank accounts. He said: "These types of crime are not victimless, and I can reassure financial institutions and their customers, that Strathclyde Police is committed to targeting criminals who profit from this fraudulent activity."

Detective Chief Inspector David Leitch from the Forces' Fraud Squad who led the operation said: "We have now gathered a great deal of documentation and officers from the Fraud Squad will be sifting through every item seized. Reports will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal. Other offences were discovered during the course of the raids and a quantity of controlled drugs were seized together with a substantial amount of money."

Identity fraud is becoming one of the fastest growing crimes in Britain. A survey by Which? magazine revealed yesterday that 25% of the adults in the UK have been affected by identity fraud or know someone who has.

Detective Chief Inspector Leitch said that there were "easy and cost-effective steps" that the public could take to avoid becoming a victim of this type of crime. He advised purchasing a shredder, to shred personal documents and stop the details contained in them falling into the hands of criminals.

Professor Charles Munn, Executive in Charge of the Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers, said: "Identity theft is fast becoming a major focus for criminal activity and the banks would like to stress again to their customers that they should never reveal their account details or pin numbers to anyone. The banks will never come on the phone or send an e-mail requesting your details. If you do receive such a request then it is coming from someone with an ulterior motive."

(KMcA/SP)