Frauds

Online fraud is on the rise and according to the consumer champion, Which?, organisations are not doing enough to stamp it out. With millions of people getting scammed on platforms owned by tech giants, Which? has called on the government to bring forward the implementation of the Online Safety Act.

According to Which? research, 6.6 million people have lost money in the UK to online scams in the last 12 months. Three-quarters of those scammed online – just under five million – reported falling victim on platforms that committed to the last government’s voluntary Online Fraud Charter, which marks its first on year anniversary this week.

A TOTAL of 140 cases of holiday fraud were made to Sussex Police last year.

It has been revealed that 6,640 reports of holiday fraud were made to Action Fraud last year with holiday makers losing a combined total of £12.3 million.

Of these, 140 cases were reported to Sussex Police, with people losing a combined total of £193,308.00 to holiday fraud, or on average £1,380.77 per person.

Consumers and businesses are being warned to protect personal information amid a surge in identity theft during the Christmas period.

New analysis from Experian reveals that fraud rates in the final three months of the year have risen by more than a fifth (21%) in the last three years. Amongst the hustle and bustle of the festive season in which British consumers are set to spend £28 billion, online criminals will be looking out for more ways to exploit people’s information to commit fraud and take out financial products like credit cards and loans in their name.

https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/103351/identity-theft-set-to-surge-in-run-up-to-christmas

A WORRIED couple hit by a scam have won back every penny from the bank after 'sticking to their guns' - and now they insist on paying by cheque so they don't fall prey to criminals again.

Clive Mounce, 67, and wife Jill, 66, of Church Lane, Norton, near Worcester paid out £6,126 to scammers, believing they were paying a legitimate charge to Malvern Hills District Council.

High-value watches that are reported stolen or linked to insurance fraud are taken overseas via airports to be resold, according to intelligence gathered by the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED).

Acting on the intelligence, IFED coordinated a two-day operation at Heathrow Airport on 6 and 7 November 2024 to help disrupt the practice.

"We're too busy chasing new tech"

With a new insurance fraud charter announced at the latest Joint Fraud Taskforce meeting, insurance companies are coming together to crack down on fraudsters manipulating the UK insurance market. But what’s the extent of the issue facing the market – and what are the challenges keeping even fraud prevention and mitigation specialists awake at night?

https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/breaking-news/what-are-the-challenges-keeping-insurance-fraud-specialists-awake-at-night-513861.aspx

A carer pretended to be dying from cancer in a £143,000 fraud on a pensioner with dementia and her 96-year-old husband, a court has heard.

April Jo Richardson span a web of lies to extract money from the victim and her husband, to splash out on a lavish lifestyle including trips to Barbados, New York and Spain.

Aviva has reported that nearly one-third (30%) of young drivers have unknowingly purchased invalid car insurance from illegal operators on social media platforms, according to a survey of 2,000 drivers in the 17-25 age bracket.

The scam, known as ghost broking, involves fraudsters posing as legitimate insurers, selling fake or invalid policies to young drivers and those facing difficulties obtaining insurance.

Organised crime behind 40% of motor insurance fraud in 2024.

A new report from Direct Line Group (DLG) indicates that organised crime rings account for 40% of motor insurance fraud in 2024, a significant jump from 25% in 2023. The findings point to increasingly sophisticated schemes, placing motorists and insurers on high alert as fraud levels escalate.

https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/claims/there-is-an-epidemic-of-criminals-committing-insurance-fraud-513105.aspx

Action Fraud, the National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre, is reminding people that if they have been contacted out of the blue about their pension, it is probably a scam.

In 2023, there were 559 reports of pension fraud with over £17.7 million lost. The average loss per person was £46,959.