A team of specialist ‘scambusters’ have been praised for cracking a £250,000 council tax fraud operation.

Hundreds of people, many of them elderly and vulnerable, were conned out of money by Jack Darrell Henry and his Huddersfield-based companies.

Trading Standards across the country received more than 1,600 complaints about companies linked to Henry including Council Tax Review, CTR, Reband UK Ltd, Household Claims and Smartband.

Henry was jailed for five years and ten months yesterday - read that story here.

The investigation was headed up by the York-based Trading Standards Scambusters Team which has been hailed for its work in securing Henry’s conviction.

Lord Toby Harris, chairman of the National Trading Standards Board, said: “It is great news that this investigation and prosecution by the Scambusters Team has resulted in the perpetrators of this scam being brought to justice.

“These scammers preyed on innocent and vulnerable victims, often ripping them off for hundreds of pounds.

“It is a priority for National Trading Standards to ensure the people behind criminal schemes such as this are brought to justice.

“That’s why we fund projects like Scambusters which work hard to protect people from these harmful scams.”

Henry, 49, of Marion Street, Brighouse, admitted fraud and money laundering.

Saleswoman Wendy Ann Smith, 39, of Blackburn, was convicted of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering and jailed for two years.

John Boon, 59, of Park Spring Rise, Leeds, an accountant for the businesses, was acquitted of conspiracy but found guilty of money laundering. He received a six month suspended jail sentence.

Trading Standards received a flood of complaints from February 2012. Typically, salesmen approached householders offering to win a reduction in their council tax banding – and secure a back-dated refund – charging upfront fees of between £145 and £185.

Having taken the initial payment little or no work was done. If applications were submitted to the Valuation Agency they were often rejected because they were of such poor quality.

Householders later found that they could submit appeals themselves for free.