In October 2021, the National Crime Agency informed the police that irregular patterns were detected in an online gambling account.
After officers from the Financial Crime Investigation Unit (FCIU) conducted an investigation, they discovered that a member of the public had been tricked into providing personal details to a money-laundering organisation via a social media scam.
Without the person’s knowledge or consent, their personal details were used to open fraudulent online banking and gambling accounts.
After investigating with the bank, it was established that the individual who owned the account could not be identified from the information available.
Further investigation revealed that the bank account was linked to a gambling account that had a balance of just over £70,000.
The funds were seized and half the money will be allocated to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in South Yorkshire to be used in various local community projects.
Temporary Detective Sergeant Paul Douglas, from the FCIU, said: “Over the last six months, our FCIU officers have deprived criminal money laundering gangs of over half a million pounds held in fraudulent accounts. Half of this money will now be used by the PCC to support a range of good causes in our communities across South Yorkshire.”
South Yorkshire PCC, Dr Alan Billings, added: “The stress caused by such deception can be overwhelming for individuals who fall victim to these scams and I thank the police’s FCIU for their hard work in achieving this result. I am pleased that many local community projects across South Yorkshire will benefit from the conclusion of this incident.”
