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International Fraud Awareness Week (14-20 Nov)
October 11, 2021
SAFE are proud to be official supporters of International Fraud Awareness Week (IFAW) 2021.
This years event takes place 14-20 November and its aim is to minimise the impact of fraud by promoting fraud awareness and education.
Fraud is estimated to cost the NHS £1.29bn a year and we all have a part to play in preventing it.
In the wider UK economy, £754m was stolen through fraud in the first six months of 2021, that's an increase of 30% on the same period in 2020 and amounts to £4m a day on average. The more aware we all are about fraud, the less likely we are to fall victim to it.
Here are some fraud fighting tips to help you:
- Share fraud prevention advice using these resources; 'Spot NHS fraud', 'CEO Impersonation Fraud', and sign up for free scam alerts from WHICH? to get alerted to the latest scams and receive practical advice to keep you one step ahead of fraudsters.
- Improve your cyber security with 6 simple actions and bag free anti-virus protection for your home tech!
- How scam-savvy are you? Put your ability to spot a scam to the test with this quick quiz from Take Five to Stop Fraud.
- Need to brush up on your skills? Visit the Scam Academy.
- Report all genuine suspicions of fraud, bribery or corruption against the NHS to your Local Counter Fraud Specialist or to Crimestoppers on free-phone 0800 028 40 60 or online at www.cfa.nhs.uk/reportfraud.
- Report fraud and cyber crime against an individual or business to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.
If you are a business owner, charity, school or public sector organisation and you would like more information about how SAFE can help your organisation identify and prevent fraud please get in touch for an informal, no obligation chat.
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When Sarah Whitaker approached an introductory care agency to find a carer for her 89 year old father she expected they would refer a suitably qualified and professional carer. Instead, Sarah was 'horrified' to discover that an unqualified imposter had been in her fathers home for almost three weeks! Unfortunately Sarah's story, reported by Sky News , is not as uncommon as one might expect. In January 2024, a man admitted impersonating a nurse and accessing resuscitation and children's areas at a hospital in Glasgow (BBC News) . SAFE has experience of dealing with a number of similar cases where an unqualified imposter had been found to be working in place of the qualified professional that was expected.
International Fraud Awareness Week (IFAW) 2024 takes place from 17-23 November, and SAFE continues to support this global effort to minimise the impact of fraud by promoting anti-fraud awareness and education. Fraud and cybercrime account for over 40% of all crime in England and Wales, affecting more people, more often, than any other crime. The social and economic cost to individuals is estimated to be in excess of £4.7 billion a year. So don’t wait until #fraudweek to become a fraud fighter!
According to data from Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, more than 33,000 people had their social media or email accounts hacked in the 12 months to August 2024, and victims lost a total of £1.4 million. Fraud is now the most commonly experienced crime in the UK, with 1 in 17 adults falling victim to fraudsters. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau indicate that 80% of fraud is cyber-enabled. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, an international initiative that aims to educate everyone about cyber safety. To mark the event, Action Fraud and NHS England have launched awareness campaigns to remind people that there are simple ways to protect themselves and our NHS from online threats.
