Action Fraud is the central agency for people resident in England, Wales or Northern Ireland to report any incidents of fraud or cybercrime (involving computers or electronic networks).  Certain examples of fraud are excluded such as tax, benefits or immigration fraud while incidents of online bullying are dealt with by a different agency.  It is run jointly by the City of London Police and the NFIB (National Fraud Intelligence Bureau).  Reports can be made round the clock either through their online reporting tool or by phone. 

Although Britons report the crimes to Action Fraud UK and receive a Crime Reference Number (which might be needed for insurers or in cases of ID theft), Action Fraud don’t undertake a criminal investigation themselves.  Instead, they pass the information onto the NFIBwho use the data to build up a picture of what’s happening in the UK to prevent other people becoming victims.  It’s hoped that this will also act as a deterrent to prevent conmen from operating in the UK.  When you report a crime to them, you’ll be asked if you want them to pass your information onto Victim Support.  This charity will then contact you to offer practical help and if necessary, emotional support.

According to the ONS (Office for National Statistics), you’re more likely to become a victim of a scam or trickster than you are of any other kind of crime.  One in four crimes concerns identity theft with each victim losing an average of £1,200 to tricksters.  Not only are there financial repercussions, but victims have to spend an average of 200 hours notifying companies with which they have a financial connection such as banks as well as the major credit reporting agencies.

One of the worries that people have when they apply for short term loans online is that their personal information could be compromised in some way.  This is why it’s more important than ever to apply to a reputable company whose site is secured with encrypted data and 100secure.  for a loan and enjoy the convenience of a fast and straightforward application procedure.      

 Of the 332,570 crimes reported to Action Fraud from October 2017 to March 2018, concerned businesses while the rest affected private individuals.  Although the total cost of these fraudulent activities was worth £706 million, this is a crime which is massively underreported as its victims feel ashamed or embarrassed about being so gullible.  The Annual Fraud Indicator for 2017 estimated that such cons and scams cost UK individuals and businesses £190 billion a year. 

Apart from collecting and collating fraud crime statistics, Action Fraud also try to prevent others becoming victims by offering guidelines to both private individuals and businesses.  They have been responsible for a number of well-publicised campaigns to alert Britons of the latest scams.  They also inform them of what free services are available to protect their electronic devices from malware and to avoid their inadvertent visits to malicious websites.