Five companies said to be involved in a scam to obtain finance by pretending to buy IT equipment have been wound-up.
The Insolvency Service said it began investigating the businesses after taking enforcement action against two related firms.
It said its investigators discovered the five companies had been inappropriately obtaining, or trying to obtain, finance under the premise of leasing IT equipment.
The Insolvency Service said the companies involved in the case were:
Continental Meat Products Ltd, of King Street, Nottingham
Fine Car Hire Ltd, of North Street, Keighley, Yorkshire
Exclusive Worldwide Products Ltd, of Foxhall Road, Nottingham
HSB Trade Ltd, of Wenlock Road, London
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Premier Snax Ltd, of The Parade, Oadby, Leicestershire
All five firms were wound up last Thursday at the High Court in Manchester and the Official Receiver was appointed liquidator.
The Insolvency Service said it became aware something was going on after taking action against two associated companies, called Direct United (Services) Ltd and Bradwell Communications Ltd.
It said it discovered that Continental Meat Products and Fine Car Hire had secured lease agreements totalling more than £134,000 to lease IT equipment that was supposedly to be sourced from Premier Snax.
However, when Exclusive Worldwide Products and HSB Trade made attempts to obtain finance using similar tactics the finance company became suspicious and turned them down.
Having been unable to confirm the existence of any IT equipment, the Insolvency Service submitted petitions to the courts on January 24, to take action.
The Court wound-up the companies on the grounds that all five companies had been abandoned, showed a lack of stewardship and transparency and had failed to cooperate and maintain or deliver up adequate accounting records.
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The court also accepted that all five companies had acted with a lack of probity, were used as vehicles for fraudulent trading and that all, with the exception of Premier Snax, had filed false and misleading accounts at Companies House to create a misleading impression of their financial health.
David Hope, chief investigator for the Insolvency Service, said: “All five companies have been used as part of an orchestrated and cynical attack on finance companies to extract funds in a wholly inappropriate manner, all while using similar activities to connected companies we had previously taken action against.
"By closing these companies down the court has protected other lenders from their actions and this demonstrates we will act robustly to protect legitimate businesses and prevent such abuse from taking place."