Police are warning Muslims in Bedfordshire about fake travel packages to Saudi Arabia this summer. More than 25,000 British Muslims go to the country every year for the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Officers are offering advice about online fraud and deals which are often to good to be true. Sergeant Carl Perri from the Bedfordshire Police Community Cohesion Team said: We are very lucky to have such a diverse range of faiths and cultures within Bedfordshire, and through our work with the community we are aware that June and July is the most common time for Muslims to book their Hajj trips and search for possible travel deals for their pilgrimages.
We have been speaking with mosque leaders and faith groups and passing on literature, as we are keen to make our Muslim residents aware of the dangers of trusting non-accredited travel operators and the risks of transferring money online.
We would urge anyone booking a pilgrimage, or indeed making any transactions online, to do their research and never feel ashamed to report a crime of this kind.