A BOGUS business set up to fraudulently obtain money has been shut down by the Government.

3D Media Ltd, registered to Nobel Square, on the Burnt Mills industrial estate, Basildon, was one of six “phantom” companies closed by the High Court after winding-up orders were presented by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

No one was based at the listed address of 3D Media Ltd, which sought credit from suppliers to obtain electrical goods worth more than £49,000.

The six companies closed down by the Government were all linked, with all but one business set up by the same person, Jade Evans, who has not been tracked down.

The court heard more than 50 businesses had been formed by Ms Evans as part of a network of companies engaged in “systematic fraud."

Each of the six bogus companies had fictitious directors and were engaged in identity theft, the filing of false accounts, and ordering goods regardless of the price quoted by the supplier.

Fake websites were created for the companies with content taken from other genuine sites.

The goods fraudulently obtained were delivered to common addresses, two in Essex and one in Milton Keynes.

In total, it is estimated trade suppliers lost out on about £300,000 worth of goods as a result of the fraud.

Chris Mayhew, investigations supervisor at the Insolvency Service, welcomed the court decision.

He said: “Each company was part of an organised operation and the goods delivered to them without payment were swiftly collected and put beyond reach for the benefit of those behind the companies and those who ultimately utilised the goods stolen.

“Typically this type of fraud can inflict losses on legitimate business of hundreds of thousands of pounds and in this instance nearly caused a small supplier to go out of business himself because of the loss inflicted.

“We work closely with a number of partners such as Companies House to prevent the abuse of the corporate regime by such lack of transparency.

“The Insolvency Service will investigate and bring to a halt companies harming or about to harm legitimate business by operating in this way.”