AMI Group have noticed a spate of fraudulent hires in recent months, across the UK. Fraudulent hires can take a number of guises but one of the latest techniques is professional gangs setting up new businesses and building up credit history based on small, legitimately paid hires.
After several small hires, the bogus company goes on to hire larger, higher value equipment and the plant hirer sets up an account so the company is invoiced on account. It is at this point they can vanish without a trace – along with the kit they have hired!
Other scenarios could include calling a hire desk, claiming they are from the local council or an organisation such as the Environment Agency. They may spin a whole web of lies saying they are carrying out emergency repairs and an official order number is to follow. They may request for the equipment to be delivered to a public drop-off point and it is only when the order number is chased does it become apparent that the employee is not on their payroll and their mobile number is no longer in use. The equipment, meanwhile, is long gone.
AMI Group were recently involved in a sting operation working in cooperation with the Police and PANIU to catch thieves red handed on the way to the port of Dover with a lorry full of stolen equipment, hired on a credit card and loaded during the night. Thanks to the AMI wired in asset management solution AMI Group were able to track and trace the equipment to a yard in Birmingham where the stolen equipment was then loaded onto a Lorry and transported down the M20 towards Dover. AMI communicated the movements of the machine to the police who then intercepted the Lorry as it entered the port of Dover.
AMI Group is leading the fight against plant theft across the whole of the UK with our hybrid solution, inclusive of a wireless battery operated unit, this has a battery life of up to 20 years alongside a wired-in asset management solution. This solution offers full visibility and asset management helping not only to locate stolen equipment but also help reduce business costs and fuel consumption. Completing strategic management and monitoring of asset activities.
