Crime
Over a Hundred arrested in £48 Million dollar scam in UK
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#UnitedKingdom, November 25, 2022 – More than a hundred people have been arrested in a phone scam that duped more than 70,000 UK citizens out of at least £48 million.
The announcement was made by the Metropolitan Police on Wednesday after its biggest ever fraud operation. The Met says it took down the website iSpoof which it is describing as ‘an international one stop spoofing shop’.
Any criminal after paying via bitcoin, could use the website to ‘iSpoof’ or pretend to be someone else to steal data or money. iSpoof worked by disguising their phone numbers so they seemed trustworthy. After paying, criminals made millions of calls trying to trick residents into giving away one time bank passcodes or outright sending them money.
Fraudsters logged on and pretended to be representatives of major banks across the United Kingdom including Barclays, Santander, HSBC, Lloyds, Halifax, First Direct, Natwest, Nationwide and tax officers and other official offices.
“Almost 20 people every minute of the day were being contacted by scammers hiding behind false identities using the site,” at one point the Met said.
The site which was created in December 2020 came under investigation in June 2021.
iSpoof had over 59,000 user accounts and fraudsters were logging in from the UK, The Netherlands, France, Ireland and several other areas. Police say they are focusing on the UK violators that spent over £100 of Bitcoin to use the site first.
Detective Superintendent Helen Rance, of the Cyber Crime Unit said, “Our message to criminals who have used this website is we have your details and are working hard to locate you, regardless of where you are.”
The suspected organiser of the website has also been caught.
The initial 70,000 victims were to be contacted on Thursday but the police said as many as 200,000 victims were targeted in England alone. The site was finally busted in an operation that involved the UK’s National Crime Agency, Europol, Eurojust, the Dutch authorities and the FBI.
The Met said losses could be far higher than the initial £48 million figure because fraud is vastly underreported.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – In response to a deadly surge in gun violence, Police Commissioner Fitz Bailey on
Monday morning formally briefed the Honourable Premier Charles Washington Misick and Her Excellency Acting Governor Anya Williams on two recent murders and the broader security crisis engulfing the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The high-level debrief followed a harrowing week which reports indicate brought the murder count for 2025 to 15 people, including what was described as mass shooting where as many as four men were struck with bullets. The Commissioner provided an update on the nature of the week of homicides, the current status of investigations, and the coordinated response measures being implemented by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF).
Both the Premier and Acting Governor pledged full support to the Commissioner and the RTCIPF, as the country grapples with a level of violence that has deeply shaken residents and visitors alike.
“The Government remains deeply committed to strengthening public safety and enhancing the resources available to law enforcement,” read a statement issued following the briefing.
As part of this commitment, 40 specially trained officers from across the region have recently completed orientation with the RTCIPF and
are now operational. These reinforcements are expected to support ongoing investigations and bolster the national policing strategy.
Among the recent incidents:
- A young man was shot and killed in Five Cays on Saturday (May 24) afternoon. Police reported receiving a call around 2:58 p.m. about gunfire near a local religious institution. Officers arrived to find a male victim lying motionless with apparent gunshot wounds. His death is being treated as a suspected homicide.
- One of four men shot earlier in the week in Kew Town succumbed to his injuries, raising the death toll from that mass shooting.
As investigations continue, the RTCIPF is urgently appealing to the public for any information that might assist. Witnesses or anyone with
relevant knowledge are encouraged to report to the nearest police station, dial 911, contact the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, or anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477.
Commissioner Bailey, who was confirmed as the Turks and Caicos Police Commissioner in a ceremony on Friday April 25, has vowed that the RTCIPF will not relent in its pursuit of justice and community safety. Public concern has been growing as the scale and brazenness of violent incidents increase. Community leaders and residents are demanding a stronger and more visible police presence in hotspots, as well as urgent interventions to address the root causes of gun violence.
The police force has pledged to issue further updates on investigations and arrests in the coming days.
Photo Captions:
1st insert: ROBERTO YACINTHE, age 33 was shot on Saturday (May 25) in the Blue Hills community. He was an employee of the Alexandra Resort.
2nd insert: Crime scene in Five Cays
3rd insert: Flex Baptiste, 32 died on Friday. He was shot on Wednesday.
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