Action Fraud is coming to WalesAction Fraud logo

03/12/2012

From rogue builders to online shopping scams - fraud is big business.

 

Latest national figures suggest it is a £73 billion a year crime – and that’s only based on the crimes that are reported and recorded.

 

The four Welsh police forces have now signed up to Action Fraud - a UK-wide scheme which will revolutionise how fraud and financially-motivated crime is reported by the public and recorded and investigated by police.

 

From today (Monday 3rd December), Action Fraud provides a single point of contact for fraud victims where they can both report a fraud and seek guidance and advice.

 

Detective Chief Superintendent Adrian Erasmus, head of the Wales Regional Organised Crime Unit said: “Action Fraud will support victims, help prevent fraud and better enable the Welsh police forces to investigate crime by giving us the national picture on fraud instead of dealing with cases in isolation.

 

“Fraudsters can target people in Wales regardless of where they are based, so by providing a national reporting centre we will be in a much stronger position to tackle fraud locally.

“By working together, Action Fraud and the four Welsh forces will be able to offer a better level of service to the public and, ultimately, bring more offenders to justice.”

 

Action Fraud provides a clear signpost for reporting all types of fraud, including identity theft, investment, credit card and consumer fraud. At the same time it gives law enforcement and counter-fraud agencies better information to better target fraudsters, better protect the public and bring criminals to justice, by providing vital information to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).

 

This collaboration between local forces, the NFIB and Action Fraud will help tighten the net on fraudsters.

 

Jamey Johnson, Head of Action Fraud said: “Fraud is not a victimless crime. It can devastate lives and it’s vital we take strong action to prevent people falling foul of criminals who prey on the vulnerable.

 

“Following a successful pilot, by April 2013 every police force in England and Wales will be using Action Fraud to report incidents of fraud and internet crime in their area.  Action Fraud is already the UK’s one-stop-shop for fraud advice and reporting, and has helped more than 300,000 people deal with the consequences of fraud and internet crime.”

 

If individuals or business operators want advice or support on fraud they are encouraged to call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, Textphone 0300 123 2050 or visit their website to get advice and guidance on protecting yourself from fraud.

 

Fraud Facts:

 

The top 4 reported frauds (over the last 3 months):

 

  • Advance fee frauds
  • Banking and credit industry fraud
  • Online shopping and auctions
  • Computer software service fraud

 

Example of Advance fee fraud

 

Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) fraud continues to be reported in large volumes and accounts for 30% of this category. This happens when people pay upfront to secure PPI claims, but then find they have been the victim of fraudsters and can end up losing considerable sums of money.

 

Action Fraud facts:

 

Since Action Fraud launched in October 2009:

 

  • Over 116,000 crime reports have been received
  • The total value of crime reported to Action Fraud is over £1.11 billion
  • In August 2012, the contact centre saw its busiest month, with almost 22,000 calls.
  • Overall customer satisfaction with the contact centre over the last three years has averaged almost 95% every month.
  • Since the introduction of ‘information reporting’ in August 2011, over 44,000 reports have been received.
  • Since the introduction of the Attempted Scams and Viruses tool in December 2011, over 35,000 attempted scams and over 2,100 virus reports have been received.

 

What the public can do to help themselves:

 

  • Be extremely wary of post, phone calls or emails offering you business deals or prizes out of the blue. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always question it.

 

  • Destroy and preferably shred receipts with your card details on and post with your name and address on. Identity fraudsters don’t need much information in order to be able to clone your identity.

 

  • Many frauds start with a phishing email. Remember that banks and financial institutions will not send you an email asking you to click on a link and confirm your bank details. Do not trust such emails, even if they look genuine.

 

  • Do not give any personal information (name, address, bank details, email or phone number) to organisations or people before verifying their credentials.

 

  • If you are concerned about the source of a call, ask the caller to give you a main switchboard number for you to call them back on, or hang up and call your bank back on the legitimate phone number printed on your bank statements.

 

Don't use the same password for more than one online account and never use banking passwords for any other websites

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