NFIB working with the Muslim community to combat Hajj fraud
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) is forming close ties with the Muslim community in a bid to stop people being conned out of a once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca.
In the months leading up to the Muslim Pilgrimage of Hajj organised crime groups are targeting licensed travel companies to advertise fraudulent deals to Saudi Arabia in their name.
In some cases, ‘Hajj Tours’ are being sold at up to 50% of the normal price, but shortly before departure the tour operators closes leaving people with no holiday and no way of getting their money back.
In the last year more than 600 people may have fallen victim to Hajj fraud, with many losing thousands of pounds on planned trips to Mecca, and the City of London Police and NFIB is working with partners in the Muslim community and travel industry to tackle this threat.
Last week the Director of the NFIB, Detective Superintendent David Clarke, met with the City of London’s Muslim Consultative Committee (MCC) to discuss the best way to alert pilgrims to the dangers of Hajj fraud and encourage victims to report this type of crime.
Det Supt David Clarke said:
“Year after year Hajj frauds destroy the dreams of people who have saved to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. The NFIB wants to work with the Muslim community to make it much more difficult for this to happen.
“As is the case with all frauds – the more the NFIB knows the better chance we have of catching the criminals. So with the next pilgrimage on the horizon it is very important for all victims of Hajj fraud to contact the police. "
At the MCC meeting committee members decided a good way to increase reporting was for them to help produce a short leaflet in multiple languages explaining how Hajj fraud works and what can be done to protect yourself.
Asif Sadiq, who is the interim chairman of the MCC, said:
"The Muslim community needs to ensure that all its members are aware of Hajj fraud and stress how important it is for them to support the police in anyway that will help them bring these criminals to justice."
