This in from the police, in their own words. Ed
Action Fraud gives victims of all sorts of frauds a more effective way of getting these crimes dealt with, and criminals stopped and brought to justice.
From the December 3, 2012, most fraud offences will be recorded by Action Fraud, which is run by the National Fraud Authority, a government agency that helps co-ordinate the fight against fraud in the UK.
Supporting national investigations
Joining the scheme enables Hampshire Constabulary to support national investigations into fraud more effectively, as information given will be centrally reviewed and coordinated by the national team.
Hampshire Constabulary’s DI Dave Brown, head of the Economic Crime Group, said: ‘Action Fraud will see a centralisation of information from across the country. The National Fraud Agency will then be able to spot where many similar crimes are happening, enabling police or others to track down and prosecute offenders more effectively. People are scammed, ripped off or conned every day and this service will improve the way we fight fraud. I encourage any victim of fraud to contact Action Fraud as soon as they are aware they have been caught in a scam.
“Police investigations will become much more effective when we have nationally coordinated intelligence behind us. So, for example if a fraudster is running a national or international scam from Hampshire or the Isle of Wight, we would have a much better chance of tracking him or her down and mounting an effective investigation and prosecution with all the evidence in front of us.”
Offers an online service
Action Fraud offers an online service for reporting crime at www.actionfraud.police.uk, over the phone reporting, referral to victim support and specialist phone advice.
Anyone reporting a crime to Action Fraud will be issued with a ‘crime reference number’. All reports are fed into the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), a central service which is overseen by the City of London Police.
NFIB analyses all reports and information from Action Fraud and other sources to gather intelligence. NFIB staff can then link similar cases and identify any trends in types of crime which cases are then sent to the appropriate police force or other law enforcement agencies for investigation.
Hampshire officers will still deal with cases of fraud when:
- A person suspected of committing the crime can be easily identified
- Where the person reporting or the victim is vulnerable
- When a crime is in progress
Other cases will be referred to Action Fraud, removing the need for an officer to necessarily attend at that time.
