Annex 13: LOCAL AUTHORITY USE OF COMMUNICATIONS DATA
(7.59 above)
1.
This annex contains case studies illustrating how councils make use of
communications data to stop criminal activity and bring perpetrators to justice.
Operation Magpie – Cambridgeshire County Council
2.
Operation Magpie concerned an investigation into an organised crime group who
defrauded elderly and vulnerable people. The criminals exploited their victims to the
extent that one person was evicted from their home, as well as laundering cheques to
the value of £700,000.
3.
The ringleader of the gang received a prison sentence of 7 years with two coconspirators receiving sentences of 5 years each. 16 other offenders were also
convicted of money laundering offences serving prison sentences of up to 30 months.
4.
Malcolm Taylor from Trading Standards at Cambridgeshire County Council said
“Without access to communications data, we would not have been in a position to
connect the conspirators and detect the level of criminality that extended to over 100
vulnerable and elderly victims, some of whom have since died”.
Operation Troy – Suffolk County Council
5.
Operation Troy was a long running advanced fee fraud case that was investigated and
prosecuted by Suffolk’s trading standards service. The fraud operated between 2007
and 2010, involved at least £7.5 million of consumer detriment affecting well over
16,000 consumers and involved two distinct frauds;
6.
An escort/companion fraud in which consumers were offered guaranteed work as
escorts and companions in return for a registration fee, however no work was
subsequently provided.
7.
A debt elimination fraud in which consumers paid an advanced fee to receive a debt
elimination service but little or no service was ever provided.
8.
The fraud was complex and well organised, operating from call centres in Spain. UK
customers made contact with the call centres using free phone numbers that appeared
to be UK based after viewing various escort websites offering work. During calls with
escort agency staff, false promises would be made regarding the immediate availability
of work and potential earnings available. Many consumers complained of similar
experiences and provided similar accounts of last minute cancelled work appointments
after they had paid their fees.
9.
The escort websites and telephone numbers changed frequently to confuse
consumers and make it difficult for enforcement bodies to track the source of the fraud.
By using RIPA powers and obtaining communications data for the telephone numbers
used for the fraud, the following links were established:
344