NIP farm crackdown: Eight arrested as police uncover suspected speeding points scam

Police in the West Country have arrested eight men as part of an investigation into a suspected Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) ‘farm’.

‘NIP farms’ are a fairly recent development whereby organised criminal gangs are paid by motorists to supply fake driver or rider details to the police in order to avoid prosecution for traffic offences such as speeding. They are typically used by those at risk of losing their licence through an accumulation of points.

NIP farms advertise on social media offering to ‘take’ the offender’s points for a fee and then often use the cloned identities of blameless victims whose information has been leaked in data breaches and marketed on the dark web.

There has been a significant rise in these cases recently and in one, 48-year-old Matt Smith from Reading, lost his licence overnight for motoring offences stretching from London to the East Midlands – despite being innocent.

He said: “The first I knew of them was when I had my licence taken away. It was completely out of the blue. They were all in vehicles I’ve never owned, borrowed, or rented, and in places I wasn’t in at the time.”

Last week, however, eight men were arrested in Cornwall as part of a police crackdown. Over 60 officers conducted 11 warrants and searched a total of 12 residential and commercial premises in Falmouth, Penzance, and Newquay.

The eight were aged between 30 and 60. Six were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, with one also arrested on suspicion of modern slavery offences. Two more were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.

“Tackling suspected organised crime and protecting vulnerable people in West Cornwall is a priority for the neighbourhood policing team,” Sector Inspector for Falmouth, Helston and South Kerrier Tim Evans said. “The action taken today is the culmination of a significant amount of work in conjunction with several partner agencies.

“We would urge anyone with information to contact police via our website or by calling 101 quoting Operation Heatlamp.”