Frauds committed in the UK will be reported to Action Fraud; from Individuals up to larger corporations and financial Institutions.
Individuals
Fraud is a crime that can happen to anyone. There are many types of fraud from complex scams that are carried out over long periods of time, for example, dating scams, mortgage fraud and investment scams.
Often when someone is a victim of a fraud they are not certain if a crime has been committed or how to report what has happened to them. Many frauds go unreported by victims because of personal embarrassment. It is likely that if a fraud has been committed against you someone else may have suffered a similar crime. The more individuals report, the more likely it is that fraudsters will be arrested, charged and convicted.
People who report to Action Fraud represent a wide cross-section of the UK. They vary in age from young adults to the elderly. As frauds can be committed online, face to face, over the telephone or via the post, most people will have experienced fraud or know someone who has been a victim.
Large Corporations
Corporations can be targeted by fraudsters online through hacking, account compromise or online extortion. Employee fraud may also be an issue in terms of abuse of expense policies and corporate credit card accounts. More serious crimes are money laundering and embezzlement.
Frauds against large corporations can result in attempted extortion, financial losses and can threaten the long-term viability of the business. Compliance, finance and ICT managers are most likely to recognise the first signs of fraudulent activities within their business.
Charities
The Charity Commission and Action Fraud both work to prevent fraudsters from appropriating funds under the guise of charitable donations.
Charity scams can be simple: someone who poses as a street fundraiser for an existing charity and asking for donations from passers-by or pretending to participate in a challenge on behalf of a charity and collecting sponsorship. More complex fraud can take the form of a fraudster creating an entirely bogus charity and pocketing proceeds from fundraising.
As the regulator for all charities in England and Wales, the Charity Commission holds information on all current charities as well as those that have been struck off for not complying with the regulations required for operating a registered charity.
Police
Action Fraud reports are passed to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) who assess, analyse and send them to police forces for investigation.
Partnership working provides the opportunity for law enforcement and Action Fraud to share fraud and cybercrime alerts to raise awareness to prevent the public and businesses from falling victim.