The Foreign Office said joint UK-US sanctions are being slapped on a network of scam centres in South East Asia used to trick victims out of substantial sums of cash
A luxury £12million London mansion is among properties hit today as part of a package of sanctions targeting alleged masterminds of illegal scam centres.
Joint UK-US sanctions are being slapped on a network of centres in South East Asia the Foreign Office said had been used to trick victims out of substantial sums of cash.
As part of the crackdown assets including a multi-million pound mansion on Avenue Road in North London – owned by a firm using forced labour to scam people – has been frozen. The property has 10 bedrooms, a cinema, gym, pool, wine room and driveway car lift.
A £100million office building in the City of London – next to the ‘Walkie Talkie’ skyscraper – and 17 flats across the capital each worth between £950,000 to £1.5million have also been hit.
The Foreign Office claimed the network – The Prince Group – operating the scam centes tortures their trafficked workers and tricks victims globally out of money.
It said the network’s leader, Chen Zhi, and “his web of enablers have incorporated their businesses in the British Virgin Islands and invested in the London property market”. They added the sanctions “will freeze these businesses and properties with immediate effect, locking Chen and his network out of the UK’s financial system”.
Yvette Cooper said: “The masterminds behind these horrific scam centres are ruining the lives of vulnerable people and buying up London homes to store their money.
The Foreign Secretary added: “Together with our US allies, we are taking decisive action to combat the growing transnational threat posed by this network – upholding human rights, protecting British nationals and keeping dirty money off our streets.”
Fraud Minister Lord Hanson added: “Fraudsters prey on the most vulnerable by stealing life savings, ruining trust, and devastating lives. We will not tolerate this. These sanctions prove our determination to stop those who profit from this activity, hold offenders accountable, and keep dirty money out of the UK.
“Through our new, expanded Fraud Strategy and the upcoming Global Fraud Summit, we will go even further to disrupt corrupt networks and protect the public from shameless criminals.”
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