What is the Economic Crime Unit and what do they do?

A team of officers and staff based in the Economic Crime unit are there to investigate and raise awareness of all types of fraud, whether the loss is significant or not.

Offences of fraud are one of the fastest growing areas of crime that forces across the country face day in day out and leaves, at times, a massive impact on those victims who fall prey to it.

The Economic Crime Unit (ECU) are responsible for investigating the vast majority of those offences, whether the victim is an individual or a business.

In 2022 Leicestershire Police received 1,071 reports of fraud either directly from victims or via Action Fraud.  The reports which were referred to the ECU for investigation included romance fraud, courier fraud, investment fraud, online shopping fraud, amongst other fraud related offences.

The Economic Crime Unit consists of investigators and support staff who are concerned with the investigation of volume and priority, complex and serious fraud, money laundering and confiscating the proceeds of crime together with an asset realisation team who dispose of criminal assets using eBay a global auction site.

The volume fraud team assess all reports of fraud and establish whether further enquiries can be carried out and follow-up on any leads identified. A lot of that work includes liaising with other law enforcement agencies and financial organisations.

The team, along with the fraud vulnerability officer, speak and visit people and businesses who have fallen victim to fraud and may have lost a significant amount of money, to ensure they are safeguarded and supported and reduce the chance of them becoming repeat victims.

Courier fraud offences take up a vast amount of the team’s time.  Courier fraud occurs when a fraudster contacts victim by telephone claiming to be a police officer or bank official.  The caller sounds plausible and may confirm the victim’s name and address, basic information which could be obtained easily.

In some instances, after trust has been gained, the fraudster will claim money has been withdrawn from the victim’s account by staff within the bank. They persuade them to go their local branch and take out a large sum of money from their account.  The fraudsters then send someone to collect the money from the victim’s home address.

Leicestershire Police was the first force in the country to use an eBay site to auction criminal property recovered during an investigation. This money can then be confiscated and used to compensate victims of crime. Officers and staff in ECU’s eBay and Proceed of Crime unit work closely together to ensure criminals are deprived of their assets. Another feature of the eBay team is they are able to sell surplus police goods.

In 2021 an 18ct rose gold Rolex watch sold for more than £22,000.  A Moncler jacket was sold for £270 and a Louis Vuitton scarf and Beanie hat was sold for £365.  All of these items were seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

POCA confiscation orders are granted by the courts following the conviction of individuals where there is evidence to support the defendant has gained financially from their crimes.

Members of the force’s economic crime unit are responsible preparing the evidence to support the confiscation orders.  At times this can be a complex and challenging task with criminals attempting to hide their cash and assets amongst family members.

The orders can also include the sale of assets to recoup the value, such as cars, jewellery, designer clothing and on some occasions through the sale of the individual’s shares in property.

The money laundering, Financial Intelligence, complex fraud and confiscation team conduct serious and complex fraud investigations, conduct investigations into Electoral Fraud, conduct financial investigations and POCA cash seizures, carry out POCA confiscation investigations. They actively promote the use of POCA across the Force and assist in the removal of organised criminal networks (OCG’s) and individuals by way of seeking POCA charges along with disruption to the same caused by asset and cash seizure.

The financial Intelligence team conduct intelligence led investigations to proactively disrupt organised criminal networks and seize their financial assets working in conjunction with the Force Complex Crime Team and other departments. This team also provides specialist financial investigative support in relation to fraud, complex fraud, bribery and corruption, electoral fraud, money laundering and mandatory referrals.

The vulnerability team within the ECU, which consists of a Fraud Vulnerability Protect officer, a safeguarding PCSO and a Vulnerability protect volunteer provide valuable assistance to those victims in Leicestershire who have been subject to fraud or exploitation. The support and reassure victims and protect them from any further exploitation. This team also provides outreach protect services to students in schools and universities within the City and County and vulnerable adults in the community.  

In 2022 the team visited more than 120 victims to offer support and safeguarding against re-victimisation.

Paul Wenlock has managed the unit for more than 10 years.  He was previously a Detective Inspector but retired in 2012, returning to manage the ECU.

ECU Manager Paul Wenlock 

He said: “I have worked within the unit for a number of years and it still amazes me how complex and varied the offences we receive on a daily basis are.  This brings its own challenges.

“It’s a complex area of work where our enquiries can take us far and wide both nationally and internationally.

“Unfortunately, due the very nature of these offences the perpetrators of these offences don’t necessarily commit the offences within the area they live.  Many crimes are committed online or through phone calls by people purporting to be officials from a genuine organisation, such as a bank or utility company.

“The team of officers and staff who deal with these offences are extremely experienced in this field and their wealth of knowledge helps us investigate and exhaust all avenues to identify the people responsible.

“Our work isn’t just about detecting it’s also about raising awareness of the different threats people face and ensuring they have the information they need to ensure they know how to spot the signs.”

For further information about fraud and how to stay aware and safe view https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/what-is-fraud or https://www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/.