A police scheme which aims to support every victim of fraud in Hertfordshire has recovered £300,000 in the first six months.

The Beacon Fraud Hub, set up in April last year by Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd, has recovered more than a quarter-of-a-million pounds back for victims of fraud in the county.

Made up of four staff members, the unit has been in contact with all those in the county who have reported having money fraudulently taken.

Money ranging from £75 to £50,000 has been recovered and was obtained by helping victims to remind banks of their obligations under the banking protocol code.

Mr Lloyd said: “I am pleased to see that the new Fraud Hub is already bringing tangible benefits to many victims across the county.

“The team has been working with victims on a one-to-one level to advocate and advise them how to reclaim money from their banks if they have been the victims of fraud.

“Their help includes assisting on writing letters, even accompanying vulnerable victims, to banks to speak to staff on their behalf.

“I would like to thank the Beacon staff for all their hard work. This is one of the reasons I recently approved plans to run the Fraud Hub pilot for a second year.”

In the first six months since its creation, its advisers have directly helped more than 3,500 victims.

The criminal investigation of the crime is led by the City of London Police through Action Fraud, which handle all fraud cases nationally.

Every week, a list of around 650 Hertfordshire fraud victims who have initially reported to the Action Fraud are sent to the team.

The Fraud Hub use technical knowledge to help develop an action plan for victims which includes liaising with agencies on their behalf, conducting a needs assessment and providing practical support and measures for target hardening.