Fraud is now the most common criminal offence in the UK. It accounts for 41% of all crimes committed and costs us an estimated £7 billion per year (based on statistics for 2019-2020). Comparison of figures for the years ending March 2022 with March 2020 show a 25% increase in the number of fraud offences committed over that period. Of the 4.6 million people affected by fraud each year (one in 15 adults in the year ending December 2022), 700,000 are deemed to be highly vulnerable and to experience serious harm as a result of fraud.
By Verity Quaite, criminal barrister at Fieldfisher LLP and self-employed at 18 St John Street Chambers
On 3 May 2023, the government published its Fraud Strategy: Stopping Scams and Protecting the Public. The strategy aims to reduce fraud by 10% by the end ...
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