Sir Keir Starmer is set to unveil plans to “restore standards in public life with a total crackdown on cronyism”.

The Labour leader will reveal his blueprint on Thursday that could see people who defraud the government face going to jail for more than 10 years.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24024710.labour-table-tougher-punishment-defrauding-government/

Doctors could be earning almost £1 billion from “ghost patients” after a fraud investigation into how many people were registered with GPs was halted.

There were almost six million more patients registered to a GP in England last year than the total population size of the country.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/gp-surgeries-could-earning-almost-070000805.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr

Convicted crooks were told to pay back more than £2.5 million last year after West Midlands Police pursued their 'dirty money'.

Criminals involved in offences such as drug dealing and fraud can accrue significant sums of money from their illegal activities.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/crime/2024/01/01/criminals-told-to-repay-25-million-of-ill-gotten-gains-after-police-pursue-dirty-money/

A benefits cheat who faked the identities of almost 200 children to pocket public money has been ordered to repay more than £2million.

Ali Bana Mohamed, 42, has three months to return the cash or face a nine-year prison sentence, the Department for Work and Pensions said.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/benefits-fraudster-who-faked-the-identities-of-200-children-to-pocket-public-money-is-ordered-to-pay-back-2-million/ar-AA1mdw2L?ocid=socialshare

Shoppers are being warned to remain vigilant when shopping this festive period as over two-thirds (62%) of scam victims over 65 have fallen to a purchase scam, research from Feedzai, the financial crime and risk management solution, has found.

The research surveyed over 500 fraud victims over 65 in the UK to uncover the most common scam types, the ways fraudsters operated to trick their targets and the impact it had. Purchase scams significantly trump investment scams (15%) and romance scams (4%) revealing the severity of how prevalent these scams are.

https://ifamagazine.com/scammers-are-out-for-elder-adults/

In this current economic climate, litigation is on the rise as market pressure results in contract fallout and the rise of fraud.

Over 2024, the English High Court diary is busy with these type of cases, however, it is also filled with cases over alleged confidential leaks, missing aircraft in Russia and the alleged negligence of a Big Four accountancy firm.

https://www.cityam.com/see-you-in-court-keep-an-eye-out-for-the-most-interesting-cases-in-2024/

Experts from Love The Sales have shared their advise on how to avoid falling for scams during Boxing Day and January sales.

A large part of Christmas preparations is doing your shopping, whether it be groceries for the big day or snapping up those last minute presents. As Black Friday and Cyber Monday ended the November savings, the next round of sales are here.

https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/shopping/experts-boxing-day-sale-scams-8991262

Zelle is one of the most famous platforms to quickly send money to loved ones, friends, and family. However, now cybercriminals are taking advantage of it to get people’s account information.

Using clever tactics to fool clients, fraudsters are now taking advantage of the existence of Zelle to get customers to give them their account information. Once the person does, they quickly proceed to transfer the funds through this person-to-person platform.

The insurance industry, like others, had a challenging 2023. While a hard market and rising premiums helped insurers, the sector also had to battle the spiralling cost of claims driven partly by inflation.

So what trends could shape the insurance industry in the new year?

https://www.cityam.com/what-lies-ahead-for-the-insurance-industry-in-2024/

Scam victims have recovered more than £1 million after Nottinghamshire Police’s fraud and cyber teams helped them get their money back.

Forty-five victims have been reimbursed this year after Protect officers helped them submit claims to their banks, which have a duty of care to protect customers from fraud and cybercrime.

https://westbridgfordwire.com/rushcliffe-victim-of-romance-fraud-among-those-helped-by-police-who-recover-1-million/