Thursday
18
April
Banking staff help prevent local fraud
13/09/2021 @ 09:24
Fraud amounting to £1.4m has been prevented in the area thanks to a banking protocol.
It has emerged that the Banking Protocol Rapid Scam Response stopped the money from being taken from individuals in the Dyfed Powys Police force area.
In total, the scheme has prevented £174 million of fraud and led to 934 arrests since its launch in 2016 throughout the UK.
The Banking Protocol is a UK-wide scheme, launched by UK Finance, National Trading Standards and local police forces. Branch staff are trained to spot the warning signs that suggest a customer may be falling victim to a scam, before alerting their local police force to intervene and investigate.
The latest figures reveal that branch staff invoked the Banking Protocol 57 times in the Dyfed-Powys Police area between January and June 2021, saving potential victims an average of £24,000 each.
The Banking Protocol was rolled out by Dyfed-Powys Police in 2017 and since March 2018, the scheme has been implemented by all 45 police forces across the UK.
It is often used to prevent impersonation scams, in which criminals imitate police or bank staff and convince people to visit their bank and withdraw or transfer large sums of money.
It is also used to prevent romance fraud, in which fraudsters use fake online dating profiles to trick victims into transferring money, and to catch rogue traders who demand cash for unnecessary work on properties.
Paul Callard, Dyfed-Powys Police’s Economic Crime Team Manager said: “Fraud is a crime that very often targets the more vulnerable members of our community and the psychological and financial impact upon victims can be traumatic, sometimes even life-changing.
"The Banking Protocol has proven to be a fantastic initiative. It allows us to identify vulnerable fraud victims at an early stage and, working with Partner Agencies, we are able to prevent further financial loss and provide support to help victims break the link with the criminals that have been targeting them.”
To build on the success of the scheme, banks and building societies are continuing to work with local police forces on expanding the process to cover attempted bank transfers made by customers through telephone and online banking.
UK Finance is urging customers to follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, and remember a bank or the police will never ask you to transfer funds to another account or to withdraw cash to hand over to them for safe-keeping.
It has emerged that the Banking Protocol Rapid Scam Response stopped the money from being taken from individuals in the Dyfed Powys Police force area.In total, the scheme has prevented £174 million of fraud and led to 934 arrests since its launch in 2016 throughout the UK.
The Banking Protocol is a UK-wide scheme, launched by UK Finance, National Trading Standards and local police forces. Branch staff are trained to spot the warning signs that suggest a customer may be falling victim to a scam, before alerting their local police force to intervene and investigate.
The latest figures reveal that branch staff invoked the Banking Protocol 57 times in the Dyfed-Powys Police area between January and June 2021, saving potential victims an average of £24,000 each.
The Banking Protocol was rolled out by Dyfed-Powys Police in 2017 and since March 2018, the scheme has been implemented by all 45 police forces across the UK.
It is often used to prevent impersonation scams, in which criminals imitate police or bank staff and convince people to visit their bank and withdraw or transfer large sums of money.
It is also used to prevent romance fraud, in which fraudsters use fake online dating profiles to trick victims into transferring money, and to catch rogue traders who demand cash for unnecessary work on properties.
Paul Callard, Dyfed-Powys Police’s Economic Crime Team Manager said: “Fraud is a crime that very often targets the more vulnerable members of our community and the psychological and financial impact upon victims can be traumatic, sometimes even life-changing.
"The Banking Protocol has proven to be a fantastic initiative. It allows us to identify vulnerable fraud victims at an early stage and, working with Partner Agencies, we are able to prevent further financial loss and provide support to help victims break the link with the criminals that have been targeting them.”
To build on the success of the scheme, banks and building societies are continuing to work with local police forces on expanding the process to cover attempted bank transfers made by customers through telephone and online banking.
UK Finance is urging customers to follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, and remember a bank or the police will never ask you to transfer funds to another account or to withdraw cash to hand over to them for safe-keeping.
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