Law and the Justice System

Fraud is having a lingering impact on some victims’ mental health, research for Which? has found.

The consumer group commissioned a survey of more than 1,000 people across the UK who had lost money to fraud in the previous two years.

Of those who reported the fraud, just over half (55%) were able to get all their money back – but nearly a quarter (22%) said they received no reimbursement at all.

The husband of a greedy government worker who helped her commit fraud must pay back just £1 despite making more than £22,000 from his crime.

Tracy Ashbridge As we reported previously to fraudulently pocket more than £300,000. She was also ordered to pay back a nominal £1 at a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act earlier this year.

The jailed former office manager of an Edinburgh property firm who embarked on a luxury lifestyle after embezzling company funds has been ordered to pay back more than £211,000.

Former Edinburgh property firm office manager ordered to repay £211,000 of embezzled funds | Scottish Financial News

The wife of a jailed banker has forfeited her London Knightsbridge home and a golf club in Ascot after spending more than £16 million on shopping trips to Harrods.

Zamira Hajiyeva, 61 whose husband Jahangir Hajiyev, 62, is serving a 16-year jail sentence in Baku for fraud and embezzlement, had been pursued by the National Crime Agency (NCA) over the source of her considerable fortune.

A recent report by Crest Advisory, the Police Foundation, and Birkbeck University calls for a dedicated fraud commissioner and a cabinet minister for economic crime. It advocates for a strategic, well-resourced approach to combating online fraud, including an annual levy on online platforms.

https://www.mondaq.com/uk/white-collar-crime-anti-corruption-fraud/1500394/proposals-for-a-fraud-commissioner

A new report is calling for the establishment of a Fraud Commissioner and for all economic crime – including fraud – to sit with a dedicated cabinet minister.

Published on Thursday (July 18) by Crest Insights, the think-tank for the criminal justice system, the White Paper highlights the need for a “renewed focus” on online fraud within government strategy.

https://policeprofessional.com/news/new-white-paper-calls-for-step-change-in-fraud-response/

Organisations should be preparing now for a new ‘failure to prevent fraud’ offence in the UK, as organisation-wide understanding of the requirements and responsibilities may be necessary.

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/analysis/eccta-preparing-for-the-new-failure-to-prevent-fraud-offence

This news comes a week after the UK payments group issued a plea to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to impose a 'Tech Levy' on social media giants to pay for the impact of payments fraud originating from their platforms.

From October 2024, payments services providers in the UK must reimburse consumers who have fallen victim to an APP scam when using Faster Payments. The reimbursement will be split 50:50 between sending and receiving PSPs.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has recovered around £1 million in the latest legal step of a probe into an organised crime group linked to a lottery winner, a bomb plot and a £55 million tax fraud.

Investigators have spent 13 years looking at the activities of Jonathan Nuttall and associated companies and individuals, revealing a complex payroll fraud and global money laundering scheme, a judge was told.

Southwark Crown Court has published a practice note on Judicial Control and Management of Heavy #Fraud and Other Complex Criminal Cases.

https://www.criminalbar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-07-01-Southwark-Practice-Note-No.1-FINAL-INCL.-DMD.pdf