New arrangements for reporting fraud are being introduced in the local area today. From the 3rd, most fraud incidents committed in Avon and Somerset will be reported live to Action Fraud – the UK’s national fraud reporting centre.
By March all forces in England and Wales will have adopted new reporting arrangements with a national centralised logging system for fraud incidents.
Fraud has become big business – particularly on-line – generating crime to the value of £73 billion annually. And this only refers to fraud that has been reported and recorded. There are now more than 140 types of fraud being committed regularly throughout the UK.
In its base form, fraud is when trickery is used to gain a dishonest advantage – which is often financial – over another person. It can involve – a scam, a con, extortion, sham, double-cross, ploy, ruse, confidence trick or other similar descriptions which go hand-in-hand with fraud offences. Fraud can be committed against individuals or businesses.
From today, the way in which fraud is reported will change in Avon and Somerset, with most fraud incidents being reported direct to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre.
Up until now, individual forces have had responsibility for reporting incidents of fraud as they have been reported but this led to a piecemeal, inflexible and inconsistent treatment of dealing with fraud. That is why Action Fraud – the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, which will act as a central point of contact for all information about fraud and financially-motivated internet crime, has been set up.
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Kelvey of Avon and Somerset Police said: “Set up and run by the National Fraud Authority, Action Fraud is a “one-stop” reporting centre, which will by March next year, handle reports of volume fraud from throughout the UK.
“While the majority of fraud cases will be reported direct to Action Fraud by telephone or via a special website, Avon and Somerset Police will still be responsible for logging some incidents – where suspects are at the scene; they have been arrested by officers; where there is a known suspect; or police have been called about a suspect who has committed fraud.
“Action Fraud will also provide advice through its fraud specialists. We would encourage anyone, who believes they have become a victim of fraud to contact Action Fraud,”
