Merseyside fraud: Ten arrested and cash seized by police

Police said £548,887 in cash was seized throughout the operation in February

Ten people have been arrested and more than £500,000 has been seized by police investigating fraud, money laundering and cybercrime on Merseyside.

The arrests were made during a month-long national operation to tackle fraud, funded by the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC).

Their funding allows forces to scale-up existing operations or dedicate extra resources to new cases.

Det Ch Insp Mike Dalton said tackling fraud was a priority.

Assets were also seized by officers, such as this gold watch

He said: "Economic crime covers a wide range of offences involving money, finance or assets, and the offenders committing these offences range from the opportunist to organised crime gangs.

"With some of the more complex cases, we are seeing criminals become more convincing and finding new ways of using technology to defraud people. The impact on victims can be devastating, both financially and emotionally."

Merseyside Police joined forces across the country in the crackdown

He said the operation - called Operation Henhouse - was held in February, and was an opportunity to send a clear message to those who commit fraud.

During the month-long period, officers on Merseyside arrested 10 people, executed 12 search warrants, and issued five account freezing orders, amounting to £287,733.

The operation saw £19,000 of assets forfeited and £548,887 of cash seized.

The operation was funded by the National Economic Crime Centre