RODNEY KING & PARTNERS
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Fraud
Fraud charges can range from a single fraudulent transaction carried out by an individual, to a large-scale complex fraud or conspiracy involving multiple businesses and/or groups of people.
At Rodney King & Partners we have an experienced team of Criminal Defence solicitors to advise and assist if you are under investigation or are facing prosecution.
Whatever the offence, you will need a solicitor with the relevant knowledge and experience to advise and represent you. Contact us to find out how we may be able to help.
Types of fraud
There are many different types of fraud. Below are listed some of the more common types:
- Tax fraud / VAT / Carousel fraud / MTIC
- Counterfeit goods / piracy
- Insurance fraud
- Credit card fraud
- Benefit fraud
- Money laundering
- Mortgage fraud
- Conspiracy to defraud
Tax fraud / VAT / Carousel fraud / MTIC
HM Revenue and Customs investigations may take a long time and can often cause problems for legitimate businesses including freezing of bank accounts, making it difficult to trade in the mean time.
Carousel fraud is a complex form of fraud whereby goods and VAT are passed around between companies and different legal jurisdictions.
MTIC (Missing trader intra-community fraud) is a complex 
method of stealing the VAT charged on goods. By exploiting the way in which VAT is handled in different countries the perpetrator is able to charge VAT on the goods and abscond with the funds before paying them to the relevant Government.
If you are under investigation or have been charged with any type of Tax fraud, Contact us for advice.
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Counterfeit goods / piracy
Many goods are today counterfeited for illegal gains including currency, CDs, DVDs and designer goods in many forms.
It is illegal to produce counterfeit goods as it is a breach of intellectual property rights. Likewise, the sale or distribution of counterfeit goods is also illegal and can result in charges being brought.
If you have been arrested or charged with any crime relating to piracy or counterfeiting, contact us for a consultation.
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Insurance fraud
Insurance fraud is any act committed with the intent to fraudulently obtain payment from an insurer. An example could be the deliberate causing of an event, such as a fire, after which a claim is made on an insurance policy.
Other examples could be falsifying facts to obtain payments and exaggerating existing claims – for example by making up items to include in a genuine home insurance claim.
If you are under investigation or have been charged with any type of Insurance fraud, contact us for advice.
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Credit card fraud
Credit card fraud can range from the single use of a stolen card to large-scale fraud using multiple cloned cards.
In its simplest form, trying to obtain goods or cash from an ATM by the use of a stolen card can be charged as fraud.
Other types of credit card fraud include:
- Skimming – this can be done either at an ATM or in retail premises and involves stealing card details by using false PIN entry devices.
- Duplicating cards – using stolen card details to produce counterfeit cards for use in fraudulent transactions.
- Cardholder not present (CNP) transactions – using stolen card details to process fraudulent transaction by the CNP method.
If you are under investigation or have been charged with any type of credit card fraud, contact us for advice.
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Money laundering
Money laundering refers to the process of concealing the source of illegally obtained money. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication.
Offences such as these can result in sentences of up to 14 years’ imprisonment. Money laundering prosecutions have increased dramatically since the introduction of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) and there is now a statutory duty on professionals and institutions to report activity that they know, suspect or ought reasonably to suspect is money laundering.
If you are under investigation or have been charged with money laundering, or face a prosecution under the Proceeds of Crime Act, contact us for advice.
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Mortgage fraud
This is where someone intentionally misrepresents the facts in order to obtain a mortgage or a larger mortgage than the true facts would allow.
Cases usually involve misleading information being given about such things as the borrower’s employment status or earnings, other financial commitments such as debts, the value of the property or the purpose of the loan.
Other types of mortgage fraud may include borrowing money secured on a property where the borrower is not the owner, or does not have the right to borrow funds against.
If you are under investigation or have been charged with mortgage fraud, contact us for advice.
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Conspiracy to defraud
A conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to commit an unlawful act, or to commit a lawful act by unlawful means.
The offence does not have to be carried out for the conspiracy to take place, however the defendants must have known they were acting dishonestly otherwise there can be no fraud.
If you are under investigation or have been charged with conspiracy to defraud, contact us for advice.
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