Fraud

Organised criminals are involved in a wide range of frauds that cause significant harm to UK individuals, businesses and institutions, as well as to the Exchequer. Fraud is often perceived to be a victimless crime; in reality it causes harm to individuals, organisations and corporate bodies. As well as direct financial harm it can cause emotional and other harm and may damage the confidence of consumers and the reputation of companies or other organisations. 

Organised criminals actively seek out new opportunities to commit a range of fraud and other crimes and overcome counter-measures enabled by the use of false or stolen identities. New technology facilitates this, making personal data increasingly available through a variety of media.  

Organised criminals are attracted to mass marketing fraud by the potentially large profits and relatively low risks of detection. Often using legitimate business services, some mass marketing frauds are directed specifically at vulnerable groups, such as the elderly.  The sharing of lists between criminals has also led to the repeated targeting of some victims. 

As with fraud against large companies, fraud against the Exchequer may appear to be a 'victimless crime'. In practice, everyone is affected; Fiscal fraud causes significant economic harm to the UK, which is felt locally, regionally and nationally.  As well as directly reducing the money available to Government to invest in services, fiscal fraud affects the ability of legitimate businesses to retain market share, leading to loss of profits, and potential job losses and higher prices for customers. 

For further information on fraud, or to report a fraud, go to the Action Fraud website