A FRAUD officer has been handed an employee of the month award after uncovering a massive £6million property fraud on Ipswich Waterfront.As revealed by The Evening Star back in 2006, a gang of criminals is believed to have made millions through the elaborate con.

A FRAUD officer has been handed an employee of the month award after uncovering a massive £6million property fraud on Ipswich Waterfront.

As revealed by The Evening Star back in 2006, a gang of criminals is believed to have made millions through the elaborate con.

The group bulk purchased new build apartments in deeply discounted deals while taking fake mortgages out at inflated prices and pocketing the difference.

The cost to banks and building societies is thought to be in excess of £40million while the gang also targeted district councils by making false benefit claims on behalf of bogus people said to be living in the flats.

The massive con was uncovered by a fraud investigator at Ipswich Borough Council after dodgy benefit claims were spotted.

As a result the council avoided paying out thousands in dodgy claims.

The officer, who needs to remain needs to remain anonymous for investigative work, has now been handed an award by town chiefs for his work.

A spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council said: "The work that the counter-fraud team carry out has an important impact on all of us as tax payers and we were pleased to be able to congratulate the officer in question in this way.

“We were of course very happy with the successful outcome of the investigation which was as a direct result of the hard work of the team and their colleagues in the police force."

Were you affected by the property scam? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk