The Met Police are working to track down 11,000 criminal clients of a gang jailed for selling instructions on how to commit fraud.
The group designed and sold fake IDs as well as managing online forums where clients were coached in fraud techniques.
Jason Place and Barry Sales ran operations from plush Spanish villas in Alicante, whilst employees based in the UK would monitor the website Confidential Access working on producing false bank statements, wage slips, driving licences and utility bills.
Selling fraud instructions like spa passes, one of the top end products was called the Platinum Profile. This cost £5,500 and came complete with instructions on how to commit identity fraud, a statement on the Met Police website described.
If the customer successfully committed fraud under the 'Creditmaster' pass, Confidential Access would ask for 50% of the customer's first fraud or threaten to wreck their credit profile, the Met police said.
Web chat forums provided "clients" with information, advice and coaching them on how to use the profiles and commit fraud.
One of the most fraudulent was called "The Black Marketplace" where serious incriminating topics were discussed and hidden from the general public and non-VIP members.
Jason Place was one of the main ringleaders of the Confidential Access operation
Of the 11,000 clients who used the company's services, some spent more than £20,000 on false documentation during the course of their business with the company. Some clients went on to commit fraud of their own which in some cases totalled more than £1 million, the Met Police said.
DI Tim Dowdeswell said: "This was a sophisticated operation which has netted millions of pounds over the years. These cyber criminals not only provided the tools to commit fraud they instructed their clients in how to use them to make the maximum amount of money, whilst ruining real people's credit histories into the bargain.
"We have already brought many of their students in crime to court and will continue to work with other police forces and partners to bring those people who bought and used these identities in their own frauds to justice."
The six men in charge were sentenced to a on Friday at Southwark Crown Court:
- Jason Place, 42 was sentenced to 6 years 9 months.
- Mark Powell-Richards, a 59-year-old credit broker and antiques dealer from Kent, was sentenced to 2 years 3 months.
- Allen Stringer, 57 was also sentenced to 2 years 3 months for conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law.
- Michael Daly, a 68-year-old former chauffer was sentenced to 12 months suspended for 2 years and 250 hours of unpaid community service.
- Jaipal Singh, 31 of Wednesday, West Midlands was sentenced to 18 months for conspiracy to defraud
- Arun Thear, a 22-year-old student, of West Bromwich, West Midlands was sentenced to 6 months suspended for 2 years and 150 hours unpaid community service for forgery.
All six had pleaded guilty at earlier hearings.
The Crown Prosecution Service made a decision not to prosecute Barry Sales because he has a terminal illness.