A takeaway in Ipswich was inspected as part of a national probe into till fraud. 

Over the last month, 17 food outlets in London, Ipswich, Manchester and Newcastle were subject to unannounced inspections by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in connection with electronic sales suppression (ESS). 

The probe follows several till fraud enquiries leading to the inspection of the Ipswich takeaway, which has not been named, on Wednesday, March 13. 

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HMRC knows some takeaways are using ESS tools to alter electronic point-of-sales records and under report a business' sales and evade tax. 

A transaction might appear to go through as normal but ESS tools enables records to be manipulation including the deletion of sales and linking to domestic or offshore payment platforms. 

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HMRC is combating ESS in the takeaway industry using methods such as accessing date from external sources, like bank statements and transaction records, and comparing this against a business's declared income to identify any discrepancies. 

Anyone using, supplying, making or promoting ESS can face fines of up to £50,000 or criminal prosecution. 

HMRC encourages anyone with information on ESS to report it.