Exclusive

Fraudsters steal £700,000 from Royal Mint in online heist as Labour warns 'the parasites are going unpunished'

26 September 2023, 23:44 | Updated: 27 September 2023, 00:01

Labour hit out after £700,000 was stolen from the Royal Mint
Labour hit out after £700,000 was stolen from the Royal Mint. Picture: Alamy
Natasha Clark

By Natasha Clark

Police have been hauled in after fraudsters stole £700,000 from the Royal Mint.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Chiefs were alerted to the mysterious online heist after a series of suspicious transactions from their website - which sells a range of previous jewellery and metals.

The Mint also sells rare coins and collectors items, and blocks of gold.

The highest value item currently available for sale is a limited edition set of one hundred 1oz gold bullion coins, depicting Queen Elizabeth II on one side and Britannia on the other, which retails at £163,244.55.

An internal probe has also been launched to find out how the transactions - which were understood to be of multiple small sums - went undetected last year.

Read more: Uncontrolled migration poses ‘existential challenge’ to the West, says Home Secretary Suella Braverman

Treasury Minister Andrew Griffith admitted that a "small number" of fraudulent transactions were made on their website.

Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry, said: "The chances of being a victim of fraud in our country are now almost two hundred times greater than the chances that the perpetrator of that fraud will go to prison.

The Royal Mint has called in police
The Royal Mint has called in police. Picture: Alamy

"That is the price we pay for a government which has allowed fraud to grow out of control and the parasites behind this epidemic to act with impunity.

"That is also why many modern crime gangs are swapping their shotguns and getaway cars for computers and cloned credit cards.

"The rewards are the same, but the risks of being caught and punished are far less.

Read more: Jill Dando a victim of a ‘professional’ underworld hit, with ‘two London crime families resentful of her crusading TV’

Thornberry hit out after the crime was revealed
Thornberry hit out after the crime was revealed. Picture: Alamy

"We urgently need a Labour government that will treat fraud with the seriousness it deserves and protect our businesses, public services and communities against the criminals responsible."

A spokesperson for The Royal Mint said: "We identified a number of fraudulent transactions on our website earlier this year, none of which affected our customers or their data.

"We took immediate action to prevent further cases and the matter has been referred to the police and relevant authorities."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Breaking
AIR INDIA 787 DREAMLINER

Air India flight to London cancelled days after Dreamliner disaster killed at least 270

Breaking
Kim's family decribed the star as an 'incredibly kind, caring, charismatic and strong person.'

How Clean is Your House? star Kim Woodburn dies aged 83 after a short illness as tributes pour in

Food distributed to Palestinians in Gaza amid Israeli attacks

Israeli tank shelling on crowds waiting for aid kills 45 Palestinians in Khan Younis

Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

Air India Dreamliner identical to doomed flight AI171 'suffered engine failure before making emergency landing' in 2023

Rescue workers clear the rubble of a multi-storey residential house destroyed by a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine

At least 14, including US citizen, dead as Russia launches massive wave of drone and missile strikes at Kyiv

Dumont Road, Stoke Newington.

40 firefighters tackle suspected gas explosion in north-east London as police probe underway

Exclusive
Government 'quietly drops' fight for tougher anti-protest laws used to arrest climate activist Greta Thunberg

Government 'quietly drops' fight for tougher anti-protest laws used to arrest climate activist Greta Thunberg

US President Donald Trump speaking to the media at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada

Trump leaves G7 summit early over Middle East tensions as he issues evacuation warning for Tehran

Matthew Perry attends 'The Circle' screening during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 26, 2017 in New York City.

Doctor to plead guilty to supplying Friends star Matthew Perry with ketamine

The son of a woman who died while skydiving said she was "just trying something new" when her family lost her.

‘Caring’ mother-of-four who died while skydiving was ‘just trying something new’, son says

NHS 999 staff are quitting and suffering burnout caused by the "relentless pressure" of calls, according to new research.

NHS 999 staff quitting and suffering burnout due to ‘relentless pressure’ of calls, research finds

Using a mobile phone to use TikTok video sharing site

Warning issued over people posting medical procedures on TikTok or Instagram 'for likes'

Russ Cook

Gen-Z adults with a fitness regime ‘more likely to have a financial plan’

Daytime view of a busy Oxford Street

Sir Sadiq Khan to pedestrianise Oxford Street ‘as quickly as possible’

Low water levels at Baitings dam near Ripponden following a very dry spring

England faces ‘huge’ water shortages of 5bn litres a day by 2055, officials warn

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in Wales.

Driver handed 10-year sentence after ramming pedestrians, including teenager, with SUV in Airbnb row