Hajj fraud: Police warn Muslims over fake Mecca bookings
Police forces across the country are encouraging people to report Hajj fraud.
Raising awareness this week, police forces say the Hajj fraud campaign is part of the ongoing efforts to protect Muslims who will be booking trips to Mecca over the coming months to perform Hajj between August 30 and September 4, 2017.
Law enforcement and figures within the Muslim community believe that the 86 per cent drop in reports compared to last year represents does not accurately represent the full scale of the problem, with many victims feeling too embarrassed, ashamed or frightened to report what has happened to them.
Victims of Hajj fraud experienced a total loss of £35,278 with seven reports of Hajj fraud made to Action Fraud between January 1, and December 31, 2016.