Scam information & the national Action Fraud Centre

[Vieil Homme]

Just had this via email and yes we all know we would not fall for any of these but this is from the Owl Messaging service HERTS:

There has been a rise in fraud cases, where the offender has used an assumed identity in order to obtain personal or banking details, or cash from their victims.

These are a few of the common scams that you should look out for:

Emails claiming to be from the Inland Revenue or PPI companies offering tax rebates or compensation - usually they will ask for your bank details.
Phones calls from bogus companies asking for money to fix connection problems on behalf of internet service providers.

Phones calls claiming that the victim has won a large cash prize, but asking for an up-front admin fee before paying out.

Builders offering to clean gutters, but who then find/cause damage to the property and then pressure the owner into having them repaired expensively.

Unexpected emails from friends, which upon opening downloads a virus and displays messages claiming your computer has been locked by police and urging you to pay a fine via the Ukash website to get it unlocked.

Unexpected emails claiming friends are in trouble overseas and need money sent urgently and prompting the victim to follow a link to a money transfer website.

Goods delivered to your home addressed to persons unknown to you - then someone arrives claiming that the item has been delivered to the wrong address.

If you believe you have been the victim of a scam call the non-emergency contact number 101.

From November 1st all fraud cases will be dealt with by the national Action Fraud Centre, rather than local police, but you can also report fraud to Action Fraud now on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.org.uk.

One more job the police will not be doing.....

[joglynne]

As far as I can see the police will be following up all the reports .... from the above link ...

You can report fraud using our online fraud reporting service any time of the day or night; the service enables you to both report a fraud and find help and support. We also provide help and advice over the phone through the Action Fraud contact centre. You can talk to our fraud specialists by calling 0300 123 2040.

Reports taken are passed to the police who may contact you for further information. Action Fraud does not investigate the cases and cannot advise you on the progress of a case.

[Vieil Homme]

Originally Posted by joglynne

As far as I can see the police will be following up all the reports .... from the above link ...

True but its cherry picking and keeping the reported crime numbers down...

[joglynne]

... and your grounds for that assumption are backed by what?

I have to admit a vested interest in this initiative as a family member is already heavily involved with the investigations initiated by public reports to Action Fraud.

[Vieil Homme]

Originally Posted by joglynne

... and your grounds for that assumption are backed by what?.

Fact!! it will not be included in the reported crimes to police. The numbers are going through the roof and this will help to bring them down for our Goverment.

[Russ]

You might want to re-acquaint yourself with the definition of 'fact'.

Who is Action Fraud?

We provide a central point of contact for information about fraud and financially motivated internet crime. People are scammed, ripped off or conned everyday and we want this to stop. We believe that we can beat fraud if we talk about it.

The service is run by the National Fraud Authority – the government agency that helps to co-ordinate the fight against fraud in the UK. We work with partners in law enforcement - the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, run by the City of London Police - to make sure your fraud reports reach the right place

Seems like AF is an agency that ensures a) whether a fraud has actually been committed and if so, b) that it gets dealt with by the right people.

If fraud has been committed, who do you think makes the arrest?

[spanna]

Originally Posted by Vieil Homme

Fact!! it will not be included in the reported crimes to police. The numbers are going through the roof and this will help to bring them down for our Goverment.

Saying "Fact!" isn't an answer

The question you were asked was "... and your grounds for that assumption are backed by what?"

[Vieil Homme]

Ok hold your horses. I posted this information in hope it would get to more people than just being put out by Owl. It is a FACT that if the fraud is not directly reported to the police it will not go down on the reported crimes so the figures will drop just as they have done for bank fraud, even if the person has been defrauded of money the Police in most cases don't get a look in, So don't get included in the actual crime figures. FACT

The person who I was talking to is higher than a Sgt in the police so I think FACT describes the point quite nicely

[carlwaring]

Then please cite a credible source, with a link, for this "FACT!" An anonymous someone on the internet saying "FACT!" does not make it so.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Vieil Homme

The person who I was talking to is higher than a Sgt in the police so I think FACT describes the point quite nicely

We don't know you from Adam - on CF we have a rich history of users claiming to 'know people' and have 'insiders', of course neither of which can be verified.

If a crime has been committed it will be investigated. If an arrest is necessary then the police will be involved. If this takes pressure off the police then I don't see the problem.

20 years ago I worked for South Wales Police in the non-crime Operational Support Unit. In short my department dealt with traffic issues that would otherwise bog down police officers with paperwork. It was overseen by 2 Inspectors who made final decisions. This meant more cops out on patrol.

[carlwaring]

Originally Posted by Russ

We don't know you from Adam...

I know an Adam. Nice fella. Popular new author too

(Sorry! Stopping now )

[Vieil Homme]

Like I said the reason for the post was to put it out to a wider circle of people of the problem of Fraud.

Its funny when we see it in black and white we all say " I would never fall for that" well if that was a FACT the original message on Owl would never have been sent.

While the reason for moving it to National Fraud Intelligence Bureau may not be to reduce the reported crime figures it will help.

[Russ]

I don't care whether or not it reduces statistics. As long as it helps protect people then job done.

[carlwaring]

I'll take that as a "no I can't actually prove it's a fact" then

[Chris]

That's enough bickering. Move the discussion forwards, or else step away from the thread. Thanks.