Six fraudsters were jailed last week for fronting a fake claims company that defrauded 19 personal injury law firms of almost £140,000.

The company, North West Claims, which was run from an apartment in the Beetham Tower, Manchester, referred fictitious road traffic accident claims to solicitors in return for a fee, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The defendants then pretended to be the parties involved in the accidents.

Police said that not all defrauded law firms have come forward, meaning that the full extent of the crime is not known.

The scam was discovered following an immigration raid on the apartment in 2009, which prompted a two-year criminal investigation.

Detective constable Martyn Cunningham of Greater Manchester police said: ‘We do not know how much time was wasted by solicitors working on these completely fictitious cases.

'Even though its sole purpose was to fraudulently make money, this company operated like a legitimate business.

'The defendants each had their own roles and responsibilities, they each had extensive knowledge of the personal claims industry, which helped them completely exploit it... This was, at the heart of it, a case of organised crime.’

Three of the six pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit fraud: Irfan Manzoor, 35, of HMP Manchester, sentenced to two and a half years in prison; Javaid Hussain Shah, 30, of Carrgreen Close, Manchester, sentenced to 12 months; and Amjad Hussain, 34, of Baycroft Grove, Northern Moor, sentenced to 12 months.

The other three were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud after pleading not guilty at trial: Safdar Ali, 34, of Dunley Close, Belle Vue, jailed for four years; Vahida Iqbal, 32, of Bamford Street, Oldham, jailed for two years; and Kadija Nasser Ahmed, 21, of Outwood Road, Heald Green, jailed for 15 months.

The news follows solicitor Benjamin Cornelius's conviction at Cardiff Crown Court for mortgage fraud.