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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A top Securities and Exchange Commission official said on Monday the number of fraud schemes is on the rise, taking billions of dollars from Americans, and warned investors to be more vigilant.

The statement came as the Justice Department and SEC disclosed the results of its latest sweep of cases from mid-August through November, announcing 231 criminal cases and another 60 civil cases involving more than $8 billion in losses.

"As more and more people look to third parties to invest their money through intermediaries and money managers and the like, the frequency with which we might see these types of schemes ... is on the increase," said SEC Enforcement Director Robert Khuzami.

He also told reporters that the Internet had made it easier for such scams to proliferate and the anonymity the Web allows made it harder for law enforcement to prosecute such cases.

Cases ranged from Ponzi schemes with promises of large returns to business investment schemes.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the public should be skeptical about offers, even those by people they know, noting that some of those prosecuted in the sweep had solicited funds from their own churches.

"One man in Texas allegedly targeted his fellow parishioners, asking them to invest with him and claiming that his success in foreign exchange trading was 'a blessing from God,'" Holder said.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Derek Caney)

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Mouchel? s bank consortium? Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyd's? hired Deloitte accountants, raising concerns about the company? s financial situation

In a statement, the company Board stated that "as part of… refinancing Deloitte discussions was named by banks lending Mouchel with the consent of the company to carry out a review of the limited scope".

Mouchel added that it expects that "to be completed by the time of its interim results in March 2011 and its banks refinancing remain favourable".

The statement came after The Daily Telegraph revealed that the consortium of banks – Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyd Mouchel's - loans had hired accountants, Deloitte, raising concerns about the financial situation of the company.

Passage through the lenders come after a string of Mouchel and the collapse of Connaught and the Republic of Korea, companies that were also profit warnings depending on Government contracts and affected by reductions in public sector spending.

Mouchel has approximately 180 m ￡ bank debt and the facilities of the Bank, but is currently in talks with its banks in refinancing.

Deloitte will conduct a review "targeted" rather than "full" in advance of the Mouchel refinancing. The review will focus on how severe drop in the company - which he relied - public contracts will affect the future cash flows.

David Tilston, Director of finance at Mouchel, is supposed to be "very confident" that the company will complete its refinancing by its interim results in March 2011.

Mouchel crumpled sharing 11? to 66 percent.

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In the third day of the trial in New York, the UK funder handed over to the transcript of a speech he gave to employees of the EMI, in September 2007, in which he told them "60pc 70pc of my fortune is dependent on how the IME performs".

Senior Counsel, Citi, Theodore V Wells asked Mr. hands: "no true a you trial because you want to blame someone else for your purchase of EMI"? Mr. hands replied: "No, this is not correct."

The 51 - year also refused was concerned Terra Firma receive proceedings of its own investors on its acquisition ill-fated ￡ 4 5.3 label music in May 2007, or that he was concerned, it would be impossible to raise new funds to investors.

Terra Firma says Citi billion in damages, alleging that David Wormsley, head of the Investment Bank, banking, wrong from the hands of Mr. suggests that he needed to submit a bid for ￡ 4 5.3 for EMI Monday, May 21 by .the ' agreement was one of the last made before the financial crisis and, according to Mr. Hands, the value of the IME has now fallen ￡ 1 8bn.CITI rejects all allegations.

In a day of intense cross-examination, Mr. hands has been challenged on three alleged calls made by Mr. Wormsley for three days before 21 May - the conversations in which Terra Firma alleges star banker of Citi in London, said Mr. hands a rival of private equity firm was ready to submit a tender, knowing that he was not also.

In a strive to raise questions about memories from the hands of Mr. event, Mr. Wells requested capital boss why is he remembers three telephone calls, but not the details of a meeting on the morning of May 18 that where an internal document of 160 pages recommend a bid for EMI was discussed.

A document of 160 pages "is not the most memorable thing in life," said Mr. hands.

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