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City of London Police is continuing its work with the Muslim community to stop fraudsters who steal hundreds of thousands of pounds from pilgrims travelling to Mecca.
The criminals pose as legitimate travel operators, often offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on the normal travel price, but shortly before the departure the tour operator closes leaving the victim with no tour and no prospect of a refund.
Despite work to raise awareness of the crime and encourage reporting, the Association of British Hujjaj still estimate that only 10 per cent of Hajj fraud is reported.
There are a number of things people can do to avoid falling victim to Hajj fraud:
City of London Police is working with the Muslim community and PROFIT (Prevention of Fraud in Travel), to circulate advice through Muslim groups, police forces, travel bodies, local authorities, trading standards and the media.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of Hajj Fraud should report to their local police or to Action Fraud. Action Fraud has translators who can deal with individuals whose first language is not English. There is also a language option on the web reporting tool.
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), operated by City of London Police, can use this information to quickly pinpoint where fraudsters are operating, and help police bring them to justice.
The Director of the NFIB, Det Supt Tony Crampton said:
“It is essential that victims and people who may be aware of this type of crime report it to police.
"Under-reporting of this type of crime, allows fraudsters to continue to target members of the Muslim Community.
"Hajj fraudsters operate very quickly; time is of the essence when reporting frauds to the Police.
"Hajj frauds can be reported in a number of languages via the Action Fraud web reporting tool and the call centre”.
General of the Muslim Council for Britain, Dr Shuja Shafi, said:
"The Muslim Council for Britain (MCB) fully supports this important campaign by the City of London Police. We believe the majority of Hajj tour operators are conscientious and provide a reliable service, but there are a few bad apples.
"Prospective Hajjis are urged to remain careful and vigilant and do due diligence by checking that their tour operator is a current ATOL holder. The MCB also encourages Muslims to report immediately to the police any fraudulent activity."
Chairman of Prevention of Fraud in Travel (PROFIT), Barry Gooch, said,
“PROFIT hopes that all of this year’s Hajjis enjoy a successful Hajj.
“Whilst the vast majority of people will travel with a legitimate company and have no trouble, a significant minority will fall prey to fraud. Hajjis should make sure the travel company they book with is registered with the Civil Aviation Authority ATOL scheme, the Association of British Travel Agents, or Travel Trust Association.
“The easy way to do this is by checking on the website of those organisations. Where someone is unfortunate enough to get caught out they should make these organisations aware and report it to Action Fraud."
General information and advice for Hajj pilgrims is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.
