DERBYSHIRE police are supporting a national campaign to protect the Muslim community from falling victim to Hajj scams.
The campaign aims to raise awareness and warn the Muslim community about the threat posed to them by fraudsters trying to con them with bogus travel packages to Saudi Arabia.
Each year, up to 25,000 British Muslims travel for Hajj and spend about £125 million on their pilgrimages.
Unfortunately, fraudsters take advantage of this and thousands of people may have their hopes of attending destroyed.
A significant number of people who have paid for tour packages for themselves and their family have arrived in Saudi Arabia to discover their accommodation is either very low quality or does not even exist.
Others have found their whole trip is a scam set up by illegal travel operators that have disappeared with their money.
Detective Constable Julie Wheeldon, from the East Midlands fraud and financial investigation unit, said: "Hajj-related fraud is a distressing situation for victims to find themselves in, people often save up for months, even years in order to travel to Mecca for the once-in-a-lifetime trip.
"Only a very small percentage of victims are reporting Hajj-related fraud, making it almost impossible for the police to catch those responsible."
To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.
