Latest news with #MurrayMackenzie
Rhyl Journal
22-05-2025
- Rhyl Journal
Fraud victims let down by outdated 1960s policing structure, report finds
Think tank the Police Foundation has called for a major overhaul of how law enforcement deals with fraud, which makes up around 40% of total crime in Britain. In the year to December 2024, there were an estimated 4.1 million incidents of fraud, up a third on the previous year, according to the annual Crime Survey for England and Wales. The Police Foundation report, published on Thursday, made a series of recommendations including setting up a UK Crime Prevention Agency and a national policing body to deal with fraud. The issue should be dealt with at a UK level alongside terrorism and serious and organised crime including economic and cyber offences, it said. It also called upon regional mayors and police and crime commissioners to take a so-called public health approach to fraud, raising awareness about how to avoid being scammed. The report concluded: 'Fraud has become the single biggest form of crime affecting people in the UK and yet our policing institutions have not caught up with the scale of that change. 'We have a 1960s local policing structure trying to fight a 21st century cyber-enabled cross-border crime. 'As a result the police are achieving limited success and victims are receiving too little by way of service.' While the report found that a lot of prevention work needs to be done outside policing, it also called for reform of how the police deal with fraud by 2030. Michael Skidmore, head of serious crime research at the Police Foundation, said: 'Fraud is a high-volume, harmful crime, often perpetrated online by sophisticated networks that operate across police force and international borders. 'In comparison, our policing response is under-resourced, under-skilled and locked into a reactive, geographically bounded policing model developed to tackle the local crime problems of the 1960s. 'We are calling for a wholesale shift to a prevention-focused response. 'We need a new national lead body with a ringfenced budget and local and regional tasking powers, greater private sector collaboration and an uplift in skills. 'The current model is simply unsustainable, given the scale, harm and sophistication of the fraud challenge we face today.' The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates that around 14% of fraud is reported to police or the centralised Action Fraud service. A total of 1,214,639 fraud reports were made to police in the year to March 2024, of which 3,641 ended with someone being charged with a crime. Research by report sponsor Virgin Media O2 using freedom of information requests suggested that only 6% of reports to Action Fraud were passed to police forces for investigation in 2023/24. Three of the forces in England and Wales had no officers dedicated to investigating fraud, the telecoms giant found. The report also said that in March 2021 there were 866 economic crime officers in English and Welsh police forces, equal to 0.64% of the total workforce when fraud is 40% of crime. Murray Mackenzie, director of fraud prevention at Virgin Media O2, said the company had blocked fraudulent transactions worth more than £250 million in one year. He added: 'With overall fraud prosecutions falling despite a 33% jump in cases last year, the UK is failing to effectively tackle fraud, and criminals are stealing with no real prospect of ever facing justice.' The report said that of 252 police officers and staff surveyed by YouGov between March 31 and April 4, 88% disagreed that police have enough resources to tackle fraud. When the author asked one unnamed senior officer what the National Fraud Squad is, a scheme set up by the previous government, they laughed, the report said. A series of recommendations in the report also includes a call for the private sector to be pushed to share data that could prevent fraud with the police. Deputy Commissioner Nik Adams, national co-ordinator for economic and cyber crime for the City of London Police, said: 'The response to fraud has been improving. 'It is not about a badly designed system; it is about sustainably resourcing and strengthening the response to keep pace with this constantly evolving threat. 'To accelerate further fraud reductions, the wider system, especially the tech sector, need to make online platforms much more hostile to criminals.' He said that City of London Police is 'leading a national economic crime strategy to increase fraud investigators and the use of financial investigation to seize assets, including crypto currency, from criminals using specialist investigation and policing powers.' Its officers are also working with watchdog His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services to make sure local forces understand what they need to do to tackle fraud, he added.
Leader Live
22-05-2025
- Leader Live
Fraud victims let down by outdated 1960s policing structure, report finds
Think tank the Police Foundation has called for a major overhaul of how law enforcement deals with fraud, which makes up around 40% of total crime in Britain. In the year to December 2024, there were an estimated 4.1 million incidents of fraud, up a third on the previous year, according to the annual Crime Survey for England and Wales. The Police Foundation report, published on Thursday, made a series of recommendations including setting up a UK Crime Prevention Agency and a national policing body to deal with fraud. The issue should be dealt with at a UK level alongside terrorism and serious and organised crime including economic and cyber offences, it said. It also called upon regional mayors and police and crime commissioners to take a so-called public health approach to fraud, raising awareness about how to avoid being scammed. The report concluded: 'Fraud has become the single biggest form of crime affecting people in the UK and yet our policing institutions have not caught up with the scale of that change. 'We have a 1960s local policing structure trying to fight a 21st century cyber-enabled cross-border crime. 'As a result the police are achieving limited success and victims are receiving too little by way of service.' While the report found that a lot of prevention work needs to be done outside policing, it also called for reform of how the police deal with fraud by 2030. Michael Skidmore, head of serious crime research at the Police Foundation, said: 'Fraud is a high-volume, harmful crime, often perpetrated online by sophisticated networks that operate across police force and international borders. 'In comparison, our policing response is under-resourced, under-skilled and locked into a reactive, geographically bounded policing model developed to tackle the local crime problems of the 1960s. 'We are calling for a wholesale shift to a prevention-focused response. 'We need a new national lead body with a ringfenced budget and local and regional tasking powers, greater private sector collaboration and an uplift in skills. 'The current model is simply unsustainable, given the scale, harm and sophistication of the fraud challenge we face today.' The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates that around 14% of fraud is reported to police or the centralised Action Fraud service. A total of 1,214,639 fraud reports were made to police in the year to March 2024, of which 3,641 ended with someone being charged with a crime. Research by report sponsor Virgin Media O2 using freedom of information requests suggested that only 6% of reports to Action Fraud were passed to police forces for investigation in 2023/24. Three of the forces in England and Wales had no officers dedicated to investigating fraud, the telecoms giant found. The report also said that in March 2021 there were 866 economic crime officers in English and Welsh police forces, equal to 0.64% of the total workforce when fraud is 40% of crime. Murray Mackenzie, director of fraud prevention at Virgin Media O2, said the company had blocked fraudulent transactions worth more than £250 million in one year. He added: 'With overall fraud prosecutions falling despite a 33% jump in cases last year, the UK is failing to effectively tackle fraud, and criminals are stealing with no real prospect of ever facing justice.' The report said that of 252 police officers and staff surveyed by YouGov between March 31 and April 4, 88% disagreed that police have enough resources to tackle fraud. When the author asked one unnamed senior officer what the National Fraud Squad is, a scheme set up by the previous government, they laughed, the report said. A series of recommendations in the report also includes a call for the private sector to be pushed to share data that could prevent fraud with the police. Deputy Commissioner Nik Adams, national co-ordinator for economic and cyber crime for the City of London Police, said: 'The response to fraud has been improving. 'It is not about a badly designed system; it is about sustainably resourcing and strengthening the response to keep pace with this constantly evolving threat. 'To accelerate further fraud reductions, the wider system, especially the tech sector, need to make online platforms much more hostile to criminals.' He said that City of London Police is 'leading a national economic crime strategy to increase fraud investigators and the use of financial investigation to seize assets, including crypto currency, from criminals using specialist investigation and policing powers.' Its officers are also working with watchdog His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services to make sure local forces understand what they need to do to tackle fraud, he added.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mobile phone-owning 13 to 16-year-olds increasingly targeted by scams
More than two-thirds (68%) of mobile phone-owning 13 to 16-year-olds believe they have been targeted with scam text messages, a British survey has indicated. The research was commissioned by Virgin Media O2, which said it had blocked 168 million suspected fraudulent texts over the past two years, with scams including fake TikTok job offers, bogus deals and discounts for popular brands, as well as fake delivery company messages. Ahead of Safer Internet Day on February 11, parents and guardians are being urged to speak to teenagers about the risks of scam texts. Among those who had received a scam text, 43% said they had clicked on a link that downloaded harmful software on to their device, while 41% had provided personal details such as their name or address. A third (34%) said they had been tricked into buying goods that never arrived, according to the Censuswide survey of more than 1,000 13 to 16-year-olds in January. Despite more than three-quarters (77%) of teenagers saying they could confidently identify a scam, when presented with a deal for a takeaway pizza, almost half (48%) thought it was real when it was fake, researchers said. Examples of scam texts reported to O2 during January included a message saying: 'Hello, I am from Tiktok Human Resources Department. We sincerely invite you to use your free time to watch TikTok videos and help to click like the videos. You can get paid by 300-800 pounds per day. We are waiting for you and look forward to working with you. Please contact us as soon as possible to get job details.' Another fake message said: 'Good news! Your account has been credited with your December winnings. View them here (with a link to a bogus website).' Virgin Media O2 has a 'find the right words' campaign with online safety experts Internet Matters. Murray Mackenzie, director of fraud prevention at Virgin Media O2, said: 'We know how convincing scammers' messages can be, with promises of too-good-to-be-true deals, discounts and job offers from well-known brands that tempt young people into clicking on dodgy links or parting with their money for items that never existed.' Ghislaine Bombusa, content and digital director at Internet Matters, said: 'This Safer Internet Day we want to arm parents with the knowledge and resources they need to keep their children safe from scams while they spend time online.' The organisations are providing parents and guardians with tips to share with teenagers: 1. Check the source is reliable. If a friend or follower sends a link from their account, verify it was actually from them by using a different platform, for example, in case their account was hacked. Remember that official-looking logos do not mean something came from that company. 2. Keep your personal information safe. If anyone online asks for personal information, payment details or any sort of action, confirm the request is genuine before doing so. Use different passwords for your accounts and anti-virus software. 3. Take time to think. If something feels off or like it is too good to be true, take time to look into it before clicking links or giving details. Red flags may include spelling errors, few reviews or low ratings, comments from others calling something a scam and an expensive item being offered for a very low price. 4. Have regular conversations. It is good to have family chats about staying safe from scams regularly in a relaxed and natural way. One way could be to try bringing up news stories or TV plotlines relating to internet safety to talk about what teenagers would do if a similar issue happened to one of their friends. Parents can also use their own experiences to discuss situations that might go wrong online. Will Gardner, director of the UK Safer Internet Centre, said: 'As the coordinators of Safer Internet Day 2025, we've listened closely to young people and their concerns about online scams. When deciding this year's theme, it was clear that children and young people wanted more support in navigating these threats. 'That's why on Tuesday February 11, Safer Internet Day, will focus on raising awareness about online scams. We're excited to have thousands of schools and organisations working together to reach millions of young people, supporting them, along with their parents and carers, to stay safe online.'
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Two-thirds of mobile phone-owning 13 to 16-year-olds ‘targeted by scam texts'
More than two-thirds (68%) of mobile phone-owning 13 to 16-year-olds believe they have been targeted with scam text messages, a survey has indicated. The research was commissioned by Virgin Media O2, which said it had blocked 168 million suspected fraudulent texts over the past two years, with scams including fake TikTok job offers, bogus deals and discounts for popular brands, as well as fake delivery company messages. Ahead of Safer Internet Day on February 11, parents and guardians are being urged to speak to teenagers about the risks of scam texts. Among those who had received a scam text, 43% said they had clicked on a link that downloaded harmful software on to their device, while 41% had provided personal details such as their name or address. A third (34%) said they had been tricked into buying goods that never arrived, according to the Censuswide survey of more than 1,000 13 to 16-year-olds in January. We know how convincing scammers' messages can be Despite more than three-quarters (77%) of teenagers saying they could confidently identify a scam, when presented with a deal for a takeaway pizza, almost half (48%) thought it was real when it was fake, researchers said. Examples of scam texts reported to O2 during January included a message saying: 'Hello, I am from Tiktok Human Resources Department. We sincerely invite you to use your free time to watch TikTok videos and help to click like the videos. You can get paid by 300-800 pounds per day. We are waiting for you and look forward to working with you. Please contact us as soon as possible to get job details.' Another fake message said: 'Good news! Your account has been credited with your December winnings. View them here (with a link to a bogus website).' Virgin Media O2 has a 'find the right words' campaign with online safety experts Internet Matters. Murray Mackenzie, director of fraud prevention at Virgin Media O2, said: 'We know how convincing scammers' messages can be, with promises of too-good-to-be-true deals, discounts and job offers from well-known brands that tempt young people into clicking on dodgy links or parting with their money for items that never existed.' Ghislaine Bombusa, content and digital director at Internet Matters, said: 'This Safer Internet Day we want to arm parents with the knowledge and resources they need to keep their children safe from scams while they spend time online.' The organisations are providing parents and guardians with tips to share with teenagers: 1. Check the source is reliable. If a friend or follower sends a link from their account, verify it was actually from them by using a different platform, for example, in case their account was hacked. Remember that official-looking logos do not mean something came from that company. 2. Keep your personal information safe. If anyone online asks for personal information, payment details or any sort of action, confirm the request is genuine before doing so. Use different passwords for your accounts and anti-virus software. 3. Take time to think. If something feels off or like it is too good to be true, take time to look into it before clicking links or giving details. Red flags may include spelling errors, few reviews or low ratings, comments from others calling something a scam and an expensive item being offered for a very low price. 4. Have regular conversations. It is good to have family chats about staying safe from scams regularly in a relaxed and natural way. One way could be to try bringing up news stories or TV plotlines relating to internet safety to talk about what teenagers would do if a similar issue happened to one of their friends. Parents can also use their own experiences to discuss situations that might go wrong online. Will Gardner, director of the UK Safer Internet Centre, said: 'As the coordinators of Safer Internet Day 2025, we've listened closely to young people and their concerns about online scams. When deciding this year's theme, it was clear that children and young people wanted more support in navigating these threats. 'That's why on Tuesday February 11, Safer Internet Day, will focus on raising awareness about online scams. We're excited to have thousands of schools and organisations working together to reach millions of young people, supporting them, along with their parents and carers, to stay safe online.'
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Two-thirds of mobile phone-owning 13 to 16-year-olds ‘targeted by scam texts'
More than two-thirds (68%) of mobile phone-owning 13 to 16-year-olds believe they have been targeted with scam text messages, a survey has indicated. The research was commissioned by Virgin Media O2, which said it had blocked 168 million suspected fraudulent texts over the past two years, with scams including fake TikTok job offers, bogus deals and discounts for popular brands, as well as fake delivery company messages. Ahead of Safer Internet Day on February 11, parents and guardians are being urged to speak to teenagers about the risks of scam texts. Among those who had received a scam text, 43% said they had clicked on a link that downloaded harmful software on to their device, while 41% had provided personal details such as their name or address. A third (34%) said they had been tricked into buying goods that never arrived, according to the Censuswide survey of more than 1,000 13 to 16-year-olds in January. Despite more than three-quarters (77%) of teenagers saying they could confidently identify a scam, when presented with a deal for a takeaway pizza, almost half (48%) thought it was real when it was fake, researchers said. Examples of scam texts reported to O2 during January included a message saying: 'Hello, I am from Tiktok Human Resources Department. We sincerely invite you to use your free time to watch TikTok videos and help to click like the videos. You can get paid by 300-800 pounds per day. We are waiting for you and look forward to working with you. Please contact us as soon as possible to get job details.' Another fake message said: 'Good news! Your account has been credited with your December winnings. View them here (with a link to a bogus website).' Virgin Media O2 has a 'find the right words' campaign with online safety experts Internet Matters. Murray Mackenzie, director of fraud prevention at Virgin Media O2, said: 'We know how convincing scammers' messages can be, with promises of too-good-to-be-true deals, discounts and job offers from well-known brands that tempt young people into clicking on dodgy links or parting with their money for items that never existed.' Ghislaine Bombusa, content and digital director at Internet Matters, said: 'This Safer Internet Day we want to arm parents with the knowledge and resources they need to keep their children safe from scams while they spend time online.' The organisations are providing parents and guardians with tips to share with teenagers: 1. Check the source is reliable. If a friend or follower sends a link from their account, verify it was actually from them by using a different platform, for example, in case their account was hacked. Remember that official-looking logos do not mean something came from that company. 2. Keep your personal information safe. If anyone online asks for personal information, payment details or any sort of action, confirm the request is genuine before doing so. Use different passwords for your accounts and anti-virus software. 3. Take time to think. If something feels off or like it is too good to be true, take time to look into it before clicking links or giving details. Red flags may include spelling errors, few reviews or low ratings, comments from others calling something a scam and an expensive item being offered for a very low price. 4. Have regular conversations. It is good to have family chats about staying safe from scams regularly in a relaxed and natural way. One way could be to try bringing up news stories or TV plotlines relating to internet safety to talk about what teenagers would do if a similar issue happened to one of their friends. Parents can also use their own experiences to discuss situations that might go wrong online. Will Gardner, director of the UK Safer Internet Centre, said: 'As the coordinators of Safer Internet Day 2025, we've listened closely to young people and their concerns about online scams. When deciding this year's theme, it was clear that children and young people wanted more support in navigating these threats. 'That's why on Tuesday February 11, Safer Internet Day, will focus on raising awareness about online scams. We're excited to have thousands of schools and organisations working together to reach millions of young people, supporting them, along with their parents and carers, to stay safe online.'
