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International Fraud Awareness Week (IFAW) 2024
October 16, 2024
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!
The more aware we all are about fraud, the less likely we are to fall victim to it, so we’ve pulled together some great tips and advice to help you protect yourself, your friends and family, and your business.
Here are some fraud fighting tips to help you:
- 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.
- Learn about the psychological tactics of fraudsters here.
- Fraud can take place just about anywhere. Online, on social media, by email, by phone, on your doorstep and elsewhere. Learn more about common frauds here.
- Are you oversharing on social media? Do you reveal information that could be used by a fraudster or identity thief? Find out more here.
- Improve your cyber security with 6 simple actions, find out more here.
- Are you a business owner? Do you know about Business Email Compromise? If not, get yourself over to the National Cyber Security Centre to learn more.
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.
Report fraud and cyber crime against an individual or business to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.
If you're a business owner, charity, school or public sector organisation and you would like more information about how SAFE can help your organisation identify, prevent, and investigate 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.
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.
Following the submission of a successful bid, SAFE are proud to be included in the YPO Internal Audit and Assurance, and Counter Fraud Investigation Services Framework. Beating stiff competition, our bid was the highest scoring in Lot 3: Counter Fraud Investigation Services. YPO is one of the largest public sector purchasing consortiums in the UK, and the inclusion of SAFE on the framework means that the following organisations can easily access our award winning, cost-effective services: • Local authority councils, • Educational establishments, • Police, fire and rescue, maritime/coastguard agency emergency services, • NHS bodies, the HSC (Northern Ireland) and ambulance services, • Central government departments and their agencies, • Registered charities, • And more, full list available here .
