How to stop a serial fraudster?

[LumpenProle]

I hope the collective wisdom of the good people of EDF can help me with this problem.

I recently lent some money to a man I believed to be a friend. He has since avoided contact and refused to pay me back.I knew he had had some problems in the past but believed this was behind him. I then went on to look him up and make contact through people on the web.

It turns out he is a serial fraudster. In 2008 he defrauded a bunch of people through an estate agent business. He was sought by the police and fled to Spain. While there he again set up a business and defrauded people. In addition, he preys on women. He borrows money, sometimes as an investment in a business, and then disappears. We calculated that he has knowingly defrauded people somewhere in the region of 250k, and that there are yet other unknown victims. He has since returned to London and is being sought by the Spanish police.

I have been to the police. I either get fobbed off at the front desk saying it is a civil matter as it was a personal loan, or given a website where I can lodge a report of fraud without a guarantee that anything can be done about it. I have contacted the officer who dealt with his case, He was extremely nice but said that due to the time elapsed the case had been closed. He said it would be difficult to prove fraud in cases of a personal loan and that the police would not devote resources to this. The police also say that they cannot act against crimes committed in Spain without a request from the Spanish police.

I do not expect to get my money back but believe there must be someway to stop this and prevent future victims. I would appreciate it if anyone has been in a similar situation and has any experience to share. Thanks in advance.

[JohnL]

Honey trap

Although he will get his comeupance - so I'd just smirk a little when he does :)

[Mugglesworth]

If you have his address, you could try this:

https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money

It won't help you that your loan was not documented (I presume) but, if you transferred funds to his bank account, then at least you have some evidence of a transaction. Getting a CCJ won't help if he is scamming money off 'friends' as they won't check credit ratings but at least businesses will be alerted.

[LumpenProle]

Thank you all for your replies. Special thanks to those who PM'd me with helpful suggestions.