In 2024 4.1 million people were victims of fraud which alone made up 43 per cent of all crime affecting those aged over 16 in England and Wales, and the government’s National Fraud Strategy estimates that fraud costs UK society £6.8 billion a year.

But our policing institutions have not caught up with the scale of that change. We have a 1960s local policing structure trying to fight a 21st century cyber-enabled cross border crime. As a result, the police are achieving limited success and victims are receiving too little by way of service. Yet fraud is not a ‘victimless crime’. Recent Police Foundation research has shown that fraud can have a significant psychological as well as financial impact on those who experience it.

This report makes eight recommendations for change. These include a focus on crime prevention, organisational reform including the creation of a single national body to lead and coordinate the response to fraud, collaboration with the private sector, a national economic crime workforce and ring-fenced funds ensure tackling fraud is sufficiently resourced.

https://www.police-foundation.org.uk/publication/a-victimless-crime-why-fraud-policing-needs-a-re-design/

A FORMER senior manager at an NHS trust in Dudley has admitted to defrauding the trust of over £120,000 over a two-year span.

Alec Gandy pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by abuse of position while he was working as a Senior Operational Manager at Dudley Integrated Health and Care NHS Trust.

The charge said the 42-year-old was expected to “safeguard, or not to act against, the financial interests” of the NHS trust, but instead, he made a six-figure personal gain.

From April 1, 2021, until December 22, 2023, Gandy admitted he “dishonestly abused his position” at the trust, intending to make a personal gain of £123,090.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/former-dudley-nhs-senior-manager-152855270.html

West Midlands Police has issued a warning about a rising #WhatsApp scam targeting users in the region. Fraudsters are tricking people into sharing their six-digit verification code, allowing them to take over accounts and impersonate victims.

We’re issuing a warning about a rising WhatsApp scam affecting people in the West Midlands.

Criminals are trying to gain unauthorised access to victims’ WhatsApp accounts, leading to impersonation and further fraudulent activity.

How the scam works

WhatsApp takeover scams involve fraudsters tricking people into sharing their six-digit verification code. Once they have this code, they can log into the account, locking out the real owner, and use the compromised account to deceive others for personal gain.

The scammer will start by providing your phone number to WhatsApp, auto generating a verification code that will be sent directly to your phone. The criminal will then call or message you, often appearing as a known contact.

They will then often tell you that you are invited to an online meeting or make up another reason to convince you to share the code, enabling the criminal immediate and full access to the account.

This will cause a loss of all access to the account including any messages, media, files and contact lists.

It allows the fraudster to pose as the victim, targeting the victim’s friends and family often making requests for money or personal information.

How to stay safe and secure your account

• Never share your verification code with others.
• Enable two-step verification as this adds an extra layer of security
• Protect your data – only allow contacts to see your profile photo
• Be cautious of unusual requests from contacts – especially those asking for codes, money or personal details
• Verify directly - if a message seems suspicious, call to confirm their identity
• Report and block suspicious messages. You can do this within WhatsApp’s settings

If you’ve been targeted, contact your bank immediately to cancel cards and prevent financial loss.

WhatsApp has special advice on how to protect yourself from suspicious messages and scams.

https://www.westmidlands.police.uk/news/west-midlands/news/news/2025/may/protect-yourself-from-whatsapp-takeover-fraud/

Cifas’ annual Fraud Behaviours Survey – research into public attitudes to committing fraud – is a useful bellwether into society’s attitudes to lying for financial gain.

Year-on-year our fraud behaviours work has demonstrated a growing normalisation of fraud by the UK public and the findings in the latest survey are no exception. Nearly half (48%) of survey respondents felt that it was ‘reasonable’ to commit first party fraud – when an individual supplies false information or misrepresents their income to receive services or goods they are not entitled to – and 1 in 10 admitted to committing some form of first party fraud in the past 12 months.

Whether making false representations on mortgage applications, claiming Single Person Discount on Council Tax, or claiming refunds for goods actually received it is clear that this behaviour is increasingly being tolerated by society, with those aged between 25–34-years-old most likely to commit first party fraud, according to our research.

Attitudes to first-party fraud appear to go hand in hand with the growth of other dishonest behaviours across society, including shoplifting. Although these crimes are often seen as ‘victimless’ and ‘fair game’, they are in fact a drain on our national financial wellbeing, resulting in higher costs to businesses which are then passed on to consumers through higher prices. Fraud against the Public Sector also directly impacts communities who rely on increasingly scarce resources.

https://www.finextra.com/blogposting/28418/challenging-fraud-behaviours--a-matter-of-national-prosperity

A Blackpool nightclub owner and his accountant have been convicted for their involvement in a £4.9 million tax fraud.

Paul Kelly, who owned a string of bars and pubs across the North West, evaded paying millions in tax, with help from his crooked accountant John Parry.

Kelly submitted fraudulent VAT returns and deducted tax and National Insurance payments from employees’ salaries but failed to pay it to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Kelly, 63, splashed hundreds of thousands of pounds from the proceeds of his crimes on luxury items, including a yacht, expensive Bentley and Rolls Royce cars, a £100,000 watch and a £2,000 Versace dining service set.

Zoe Gascoyne, Deputy Director in HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said:

“Paul Kelly abused his position of trust to steal from clients and staff members, and John Parry assisted him in further stealing from the taxpayer.

“Tax fraud is never a victimless crime and the eye watering sums he spent on cars and jewellery should have been funding the public services we all rely on.

“I hope this result serves as a warning to the minority of corrupt professionals who wrongly believe they can use their knowledge to assist clients committing fraud.

“We can and will work with our law enforcement partners to bring you to justice and we encourage anyone with information about any type of tax fraud to report it online.”

https://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/hm-revenue-customs-hmrc/pressreleases/nightclub-boss-and-accountant-face-the-music-3382753

Lucrative contracts were handed out by NHS managers in return for cash and gifts across the country.

Four men have been convicted in a £6m corruption and bribery probe at health boards across Scotland.

The group was charged following investigations into the award of lucrative NHS contracts to an Ayrshire–based telecommunications firm.

Adam Sharoudi, 41, and Gavin Brown, 48, ran Oricom Ltd, a firm that started from a garden shed and went on to secured major deals.

However, prosecutors said the contracts for the supply and maintenance of telecoms and video conferencing equipment broke the rules regarding financial wrongdoing in the tendering process.

The Oricom bosses were illegally aided by Alan Hush, 68, and 60-year-old Gavin Cox.

Hush was the telecommunications manager at NHS Lothian and then NHS Scotland’s video conferencing manager.

Cox held the post of head of IT and infrastructure at NHS Lanarkshire.

The pair abused their powers as “public servants” to push deals through.

One contract alone was worth £3.1m.

In return, Hush got £18,231 of cash bungs and gifts, Cox a total of more than £70,000.

All four men denied the accusations during a three-month trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

But on Tuesday, jurors – after more than eight days of deliberations – found them guilty and they each face lengthy sentences when they return to the dock next month.

https://news.stv.tv/scotland/four-men-convicted-over-6-5m-nhs-scotland-corruption-and-bribery

City of London Police has welcomed the 2025-2027 PEEL assessment framework published by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), which places new emphasis on the crime of fraud.

Released on 11 April, the framework outlines what will be covered in the inspectorate’s next assessment cycle, designed to measure forces in England and Wales for police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL).

Of the nine questions which comprise the 2025-2027 PEEL framework, a new addition is one relating specifically to fraud; it will consider accountability, capacity and capability, force response, investigations and support for victims. It marks the first time that the framework places specific emphasis on how police forces respond to the growing threat of fraud.

Deputy Commissioner Nik Adams, national policing lead for fraud of the City of London Police, said: “We welcome this important development, which highlights the increasing significance of how law enforcement addresses fraud – a crime-type that accounts for 50 per cent of all reported offences.

“This renewed focus brings greater accountability on police forces to not only manage fraud threats within their communities, but also to deliver meaningful outcomes for victims – something that lies at the heart of our mission.

“We are working closely with forces and partners across the UK to strengthen our collective response, enhance investigative capabilities, and build the necessary capacity to meet the scale of the challenge.

“Our commitment is clear: to provide the best possible service to victims, continually improve their experience, and maximise opportunities for law enforcement and its partners to reduce harm and prevent fraud. As part of this effort, and in recognition of the need to meet rising demand, we are developing a new, enhanced service for reporting and analysing fraud. This will allow us to better harness data and technology in support of our mission.

“We are actively engaging with local and regional forces to further improve access to this system, which represents just one part of our wider commitment to innovation and collaboration in the fight against fraud.”

https://emergencyservicestimes.com/2025/04/28/city-of-london-police-welcomes-new-framework-strengthening-the-fight-against-fraud/

The SFO today searched five properties and made three arrests as it announced a new multi-million pound international bribery investigation.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today searched five properties and made three arrests as it announced a new multi-million pound international bribery investigation.

The target of the investigation is UK company Blu-3 and former associates of the global construction firm Mace Group.

The operation included a search of a suspect’s premises today by Monaco authorities with assistance from the SFO.

Individuals at Blu-3 are suspected of paying over £3 million of bribes to former associates of Mace Group in relation to the construction of a data centre in the Netherlands for the technology giant Microsoft.

More than 70 SFO staff searched four homes and one commercial property across London, Kent, Surrey and Somerset today to seize evidence. Three individuals were arrested for questioning.

The Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP attended one of the arrests in North London this morning.

Today’s operation and our continuing investigation is supported by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Nick Ephgrave QPM, Director of the Serious Fraud Office, said:

“Paying bribes to do business undermines our financial markets, the reputation of British companies and the rule of law and will not be tolerated.

“Today’s action is a reminder that we will take rapid and robust action to tackle suspected bribery and corruption wherever it appears – at home and overseas.”

Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP said:

“Bribery undermines the values of fairness and playing by the rules, and hurts individuals, businesses, and our wider economy.”

“As part of our Plan for Change, this Government is committed to tackling all forms of bribery to protect working people and ensure criminals are brought to justice.”

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sfo-opens-european-data-centre-bribery-investigation

Plans to recover stolen cash and impose driving bans on those who repeatedly fail to pay back taxpayer money moved a step closer today, as Ministers vowed “to address the unacceptable levels of fraud and error we’ve inherited”

• The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error, and Recovery) Bill, set to save £1.5 billion over the next five years, progresses to the Lords 
• The Bill follows the biggest welfare fraud and error budget package in recent history 
• Changes could help boost investment in public services and protect the public purse, as part of the Plan for Change

New souped-up powers from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), which will allow DWP to recover money directly from the bank accounts of fraudsters who can repay but are wilfully gaming the system in order not to, passed an important stage in the House of Commons as it had its Third Reading. 

The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error, and Recovery) Bill, which could put these measures into law, will help DWP to catch fraudsters, prevent overpayments and protect taxpayer’s money.  

The Bill will save the taxpayer £1.5 billion over the next five years and is part of wider plans set out in the Autumn budget and Spring Statement to save £9.6 billion by 2030. This means taxpayer’s money can be invested in public services as part of the government’s Plan for Change.   

Minister for Transformation, Andrew Western said:   

Enhancing our powers is essential to fulfilling our commitment to the public, as they will enable us to address the unacceptable levels of fraud and error we’ve inherited and better protect public funds.

By strengthening our ability to catch criminals and prevent overpayments, we can keep up with the evolving nature of welfare fraud while reducing the risk of people falling further into debt, ensuring that more resources are directed towards improving the lives of people across the country.

The new legislation comes as the government is dealing with the broken welfare system it inherited, with out-of-control levels of fraud and error costing the taxpayer around £10 billion a year – with a total of £35 billion of taxpayers’ money incorrectly paid to those not entitled to the money since the pandemic.    

https://www.wired-gov.net/wg/news.nsf/articles/Fraud+Bill+to+save+1.5+billion+progresses+to+the+Lords+30042025160500

An independent review of the UK’s fraud laws is to be carried out for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Part two of Jonathan Fisher KC’s Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences marks the first review of fraud legislation since 1986.

During this time, the nature and scale of fraud has evolved considerably, with fraud now accounting for more than 40 per cent of all offences recorded by the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

Where Lord Roskill’s 1986 review focused mostly on the serious fraud committed by corporate entities, the huge increase in fraud offences over the past decade has come at the expense of ordinary consumers and small businesses, targeted by highly organised gangs, many of them based overseas.

The Home Office says the resulting harm to society is severe, with fraud against individuals in England and Wales alone recently estimated to cost more than £6.8 billion every year.

Fraud has also been transformed by the impact of modern technology, with the increasing use of artificial intelligence to create scambots, deepfakes and websites impersonating established businesses and public authorities.

Fraud gangs have the ability to target tens of thousands of Britons every hour through social media, email and telephone, and need to persuade only a small fraction of those individuals to fall for their scams in order to make millions of pounds.

The Home Office will place these emerging threats at the heart of its new, expanded fraud strategy to be published later this year, but it will also be vital to have the independent analysis provided by Jonathan Fisher KC to inform the response required from government, law enforcement and industry. And with international cooperation to disrupt threats a key national security commitment within its Plan for Change, the Government is also building a united global response as part of its strategy to tackle fraud.

Part 2 of the Fisher Review will therefore examine the largest challenges faced by law enforcement in bringing criminals committing fraud offences to justice in England and Wales. Specifically, it will consider issues in various stages of the fraud life cycle, including detection and reporting, disruption, investigation, and prosecution and offences.

https://policeprofessional.com/news/fraud-laws-to-be-reviewed-for-first-time-in-40-years/