Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster, Nickie Aiken, spoke out in the House of Commons to highlight the growing trend of Hajj fraud.
On her patrol with Commander Khan from the City of London Police, Nickie heard about the growing trend of Hajj fraud, which is often seeing people left £10,000s out of pocket.
Speaking in the Commons, Nickie explained,
"Hajj begins in mid-June, when thousands of British Muslims will travel to Saudi Arabia for their pilgrimage to Mecca. Last week, I met City of London Commander Khan who highlighted to me the growing issue around Hajj fraud. Thousands of Brits are being targeted by rogue tour operators and when they get to Saudi Arabia they discover that they have no hotel and no tour. Will the Leader of the House consider a debate in Government time highlighting the growing issue around Hajj fraud and economic fraud in general?"
Leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt MP, replied,
"My hon. Friend has provided her own answer. I thank her for raising awareness of this important issue, and sending a clear message to anyone who might be targeted with such appalling fraud. These kinds of crimes are terrible in any circumstance, but trying to exploit people undertaking this particular pilgrimage is really unpleasant. I thank her for raising the matter. She will know that the Government take it very seriously, and had a recent campaign to combat this type of fraud. I will certainly ensure that all relevant Departments are aware of her campaign, and assist her in any way they can."
