The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has charged Beard, ex-Glencore head of oil, with corruption and bribing NNPC officials.

The billionaire former head of oil at Glencore Plc, Alex Beard, has been charged with corruption by the UK’s top fraud agency, alongside four other ex-employees from the commodities trader.

https://www.arise.tv/uk-fraud-office-charges-former-glencore-billionaire-oil-chief-with-bribing-nnpc-officials/

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 Which?-led coalition representing some of the UK’s biggest banks and telecoms providers has made a landmark commitment to sharing data, as it urges the new government to make tackling fraud a national priority.

https://www.techdigest.tv/2024/08/which-led-consortium-urges-government-to-make-fraud-priority-by-removing-barriers-to-data-sharing.html

Charity bosses conned into hiring agency workers who presented fake qualification certificates to gain work said they were shocked by the crime — and said their commitment to vulnerable users remains unwavering.

Carlisle Crown Court heard how Walsingham Support — which has offices in the city and in Workington — was the unwitting victim of fraud.

https://cumbriacrack.com/2024/07/31/charity-conned-by-agency-worker-shocked-by-crime/

A ‘ground-breaking’ public-private intelligence-sharing partnership has been established to use banking data to laser in on criminality.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has announced that it is working with seven UK retail banks – including Starling Bank, which describes itself as ‘Britain’s first digital bank’ – on what it describes as a ‘major project to identify and take action against organised crime’.

https://www.globalgovernmentfintech.com/uk-public-private-partnership-tackles-criminality-using-banking-data/

Barclays has reported a whopping 139% increase in the total value of romance scams.

Romance scams increased sharply during May and June, according to data from Barclays, with men losing £3,500 on average and women £8,900.

https://moneyweek.com/personal-finance/barclays-reports-large-spike-in-romance-scams

Millions of pounds have been lost to cryptocurrency scams in north Wales in the last three years.

That is according to PC Jason Knowles of North Wales Police’s Cyber Crime, who is urging members of the public to be on their guard after a rise in cryptocurrency-related fraud and scams in the area.

https://www.wrexham.com/news/police-issue-warning-to-north-wales-residents-after-rise-in-crypto-fraud-255054.html

Barclays is warning Brits about romance scams as its research revealed an increase in claims.

The bank analysed its business and personal current account customer scam data and found a 139% increase in the total value of romance scam reports when comparing the period March to April with the period May to June.

https://www.bicesteradvertiser.net/news/national/uk-today/24480234.barclays-issues-warning-brits-rise-romance-scams/

The Insolvency Service has successfully closed down a fake travel company run by a man with several different identities and multiple fraud convictions behind him.

The Insolvency Service now want to contact any businesses or individuals who might be owed money by Zulu Travel Services Ltd operating from addresses in Birkenhead, Chester, Manchester and London and run by “Dr Darren Anderson” who was listed as its sole director. 

https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/northwest/news/2137119-serial-fraudster-behind-bogus-travel-company

Almost two thirds of all director bans last year, which included people working in the property industry, were related to misconduct and fraud related to covid loans although most avoided criminal prosecution, the Insolvency Service’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2023-24 shows.

The latest statistics released by the Insolvency Service this week shows the level of work the agency carried out in 2023-24 to tackle Covid loan abuse.

https://propertyindustryeye.com/insolvency-service-targets-covid-loan-abuse/