The Metropolitan Police have arrested 14 people in co-ordinated early-morning raids across London, dismantling what officers describe as one of the capital’s most sophisticated phone fraud operations.
The raids, carried out simultaneously at 12 addresses across Tower Hamlets, Newham, Haringey, Croydon, and Barnet, follow a nine-month investigation codenamed Operation Bellatrix.
The network is believed to have defrauded over 3,000 victims — primarily elderly and vulnerable people — of an estimated £8.5 million over the past two years using a combination of courier fraud, bank impersonation, and vishing (voice phishing) techniques.
“This was a highly organised criminal enterprise that caused misery on an industrial scale,” said Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Grainger of the Met’s Cyber Crime Unit. “The perpetrators preyed on the most vulnerable members of our community, often draining life savings in a single phone call.”
Victims were typically contacted by callers claiming to be from their bank’s fraud department, a police station, or a telecommunications provider. The callers used spoofed phone numbers to appear legitimate and employed social engineering tactics to convince victims to transfer money, hand over bank cards, or provide one-time passcodes.
The investigation involved collaboration with the National Crime Agency, the City of London Police, and cybersecurity researchers who helped trace the technical infrastructure used by the network.
Items seized during the raids included 47 mobile phones, 23 laptops, 12 vehicles, and approximately £420,000 in cash and cryptocurrency. Banking accounts containing a further £1.2 million have been frozen.
All 14 suspects, aged between 19 and 47, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and money laundering. They remain in custody at various London police stations.
The Met is urging anyone who believes they may have been a victim of courier fraud to contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit actionfraud.police.uk.