A fraud investigation has been launched at Solihull Council amid claims that an agency worker retained residents’ card details and emailed them to a personal account.
West Midlands Police confirmed they are investigating a number of fraud reports involving Solihull residents. The probe centres on allegations that the temporary worker, based in a council contact centre, took card payments over the phone and kept the sensitive information for personal use.
A source told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they were advised to cancel their card and request a new one. “I assume it was when I phoned to pay for a green bin sticker,” they said. “That’s the only time in recent years I’ve needed to call the council to pay for anything and I wasn’t able to do it online.”
Up to 500 people may have been affected, according to the same source, although the council has not confirmed this figure.
A letter dated June 20, written by Andrew Felton, Solihull Council’s Director of Resources, has been shared online by a concerned resident. It confirms that an agency worker had “retained card details of some residents who paid for council services” and emailed them to their personal address.
Mr Felton wrote:
“As soon as this was discovered we took immediate action and involved the police. At present we do not know exactly how many people are affected, so as a precaution I am writing to everyone who this individual dealt with.”
“Transactions processed by other staff members are not affected. I know this may cause you to be concerned and I would like to apologise for what has happened.”
He advised residents to contact their bank and report that their card details may have been shared without consent.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson told the LDRS:
“We have received a number of reports of fraud against people in Solihull. Officers from our investigations department are looking into the reports and carrying out further enquiries.”
“Anyone who has had money fraudulently taken from them can get in touch via 101 or report it to Action Fraud.”
A spokesperson for Solihull Council added:
“As soon as this issue was identified we referred it to the police. We also immediately notified all those that this individual dealt with. They were advised to contact their bank promptly and follow any recommended precautions.”
“Given this is an ongoing police investigation, we cannot comment further at this stage.”
The incident has sparked concerns about data handling and security processes in local government services. Anyone concerned their details may have been compromised is urged to monitor their accounts and report suspicious activity