Fraudsters ripped off 800 investors in Ponzi scam

A gang of fraudsters conned hundreds of people out of more than £13m by luring them into a scheme involving properties along the Crossrail route, a court heard. Investors ploughed anything between £5,000 and £140,000 into Essex and London Properties Ltd (ELP), which was set up in 2015. Two years later officers from the Essex Police Serious Economic Crime Unit launched an investigation after receiving a series of complaints from victims. The probe found more than 800 people had invested…