NFIB eNewsletter - November 2010
Message from Detective Superintendent Tony Crampton of the City of London Police
Director of the NFIB
My first three months as the Director of the NFIB have been a real eye opener. Working with the NFIB team and coming to understand how we can bring out the best from the most advanced police intelligence system in the world has been both a challenging and rewarding experience.
A focus of mine has been to maintain the quality of data shared and ingested by our partners while seeking new sources of recorded cases of fraud. This work has been balanced with the absolute priority of producing quality intelligence packages for our partner agencies. I believe the results achieved within the short life of the NFIB, some of which are highlighted within this newsletter, are strong indicators that we are moving in the right direction.
In the next few months I want to see more NFIB-led police operations culminating in more arrests, the recovery of more stolen assets and the disruption of more organised crime groups. I will also be personally meeting with as many of our key stakeholders as possible to hear their thoughts on how the NFIB should continue to develop as we move into 2011.
The Know Fraud system
Since the last newsletter the Know Fraud system has continued to grow, and is now holding more than 2 million confirmed fraud reports and over 40 million referential records. By the end of October NFIB analysts had used Know Fraud to view 420 criminal networks and process 1034 searches for 25 different forces and counter fraud agencies. There is also new insurance fraud data in the system from Hill Dickinson, including staged accidents, and FISS data from UK Payments, made up of plastic and cheque fraud/crime.
The ingest of three new data sets is under development. The first is online vehicle crime, being contributed by the Anti Fraud Intelligence Database (AFID). The second is an extract from the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), containing confirmed fraud and high-risk networks. And the third relates to World Check, an international open source data set focusing on, amongst many, terrorists, money launderers, disqualified directors and those who have been politically exposed. Development is also underway to ingest 1.5 billion referential records, including electoral, business, mortality and birth data to assist analysts identifying and locating fraudsters wherever they are and whoever’s identity they may be using. The new data ingests have already produced some unexpected results, last week identifying and locating two individuals wanted on international arrest warrants and a person wanted by the MPS for an online Holiday fraud of 100k. Information on the cases was passed to Interpol and the MPS for action.
In addition two international data sets have also been ingested into Know fraud, one from Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a second from Queensland Police Department. Both are of confirmed frauds reported overseas where the victim was either UK based or where the victim was overseas but the suspect or money trail links to the UK. The useful data has a hit rate of 17 per cent (records that resulted in a criminal network), linking to data already held in the system.
Other intelligence with similar positive results includes information on blacklisted solicitors and a feed from British Transport Police containing train operating company charge backs (mainly international transactions).
NFIB and Action Fraud stats
Action Fraud reports sent to the NFIB has continued to rise in the last two months. In September there were 784 reports transferred to the Bureau, from which 230 crime reports with losses of almost £1.5 million were sent to 27 police forces. In October a major loan repayments fraud saw the number of reports rocket to 2692 pushing application fraud above online shopping fraud as the most reported fraud in 2010. Other highly reported frauds were advance fee and consumer non-investment. There was also a sudden jump in telecom industry fraud, with 42 Action Fraud reports. From this 225 criminal reports with total losses of recorded at £2.4 million were sent to 30 different forces.
NFIB operational activity
This Autumn the combined work of the NFIB and Action Fraud led to the City of London Police launching a major investigation into an online loans repayment fraud. In September Action Fraud began receiving reports from people whose personal details had been used to obtain a fraudulent loan from a Finnish-based company called MCO Capital. By October the NFIB had analysed almost 2,000 crime reports sent by Action Fraud, with the team passing this intelligence to the force’s Economic Crime Directorate. Detectives are currently aware of more than 9,000 fraudulent loan applications. In November they arrested three men and a woman in locations across the South East on suspicion of various fraud offences, with further action anticipated. This case has been widely covered online and in the press, including by BBC Moneybox, The Times and Sunday Times.
In October NFIB intelligence helped the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) secure lengthy prison sentences for a gang of forgers supplying criminal networks with false identity documents. In March officers arrested three men and searched properties across East London, seizing equipment and machinery used to produce counterfeit identity documents. Detectives found evidence of Lithuanian ID cards and driving licenses being manufactured to order at £250 a document. NFIB checks identified 46 fraud networks impacting on police forces across the UK, focusing on 23 addresses and 23 individuals. This intelligence enabled the prosecution to prove how the fraudsters were operating as part of an organised crime group and persuaded the judge to give an extended sentence totalling 16 years.
Hajj fraud campaign
In November up to 25,000 UK Muslims made the pilgrimage to Mecca for Hajj. Unfortunately hundreds and possibly thousands will have had their trip ruined by bogus travel operators. To counter this threat the NFIB and the City of London Police has been running a campaign to raise awareness of Hajj fraud and encourage victims to report to police. This will enable the NFIB to identify the criminal networks behind Hajj fraud and help police catch the fraudsters.
A leaflet was produced to spread this message found at: www.nfib.police.uk/police-and-nfib-target-fraudsters-who-destroy-pilgrims-dreams-of-trip-to-mecca.html
This was distributed to all UK police forces, Muslim groups, trading standards and the travel industry. The pamphlet has since been translated into six languages and is being uploaded onto the NFIB and City of London Police website. Local, regional, national and Muslim-focused media have covered the campaign, with Sky News running the story on the Saturday before the start of Hajj.
Operation Halo
An NFIB unit has also been rewarded on the European stage. Operation Halo draws together credit and debit card intelligence from law enforcement and the financial sector to help police in the UK and across the Continent track down criminal gangs committing major frauds. The team’s key role in combating payment card crime was recognised when they were awarded the European Law Enforcement ‘Team of the Year’ by the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators.
Fraud alerts and Project Griffin Fraud
NFIB fraud alerts are being sent out to public and private sector partners and selected media containing details of trends in offending and fraud prevention advice. Alerts circulated include rental fraud, holiday lettings fraud, employment fraud, a PC cleaning fraud and an advanced fee fraud. These have been publicised online, in trade press and in national media outlets that such as the Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Evening Standard and on BBC Breakfast.
The fraud alerts are also forming the basis of the new Project Griffin Fraud. Managed by the City of London Police, it is designed to help prevent fraud and increase crime detection in the public and private sector. A conference call every six weeks will enable partner agencies to discuss the effectiveness of the NFIB alerts and questions senior City of London Police officers. This newsletter and regular emails will also keep partners informed.
Ministerial visit
There have been a number of visitors from the Home Office, and in October the Minister for Crime Reduction, James Brokenshire MP, was welcomed to the City of London Police’s Economic Crime Directorate. Senior officers demonstrated how NFIB intelligence was leading to police operations across the UK. They also highlighted how the ‘Know Fraud’ system was linking pieces of criminal evidence to help break open other force’s fraud investigations.
NFIB strategic assessment
The ACPO Economic Crime Portfolio has commissioned the NFIB to undertake a detailed assessment of fraud in the UK today. This report will articulate the current threats and inform the national response to a crime that last year cost the UK £30 billion.
Following presentation to the Strategic Tasking and Co-ordination Group (STCG) this assessment will be sent to the counter fraud community and UK and international law enforcement. An unrestricted version will also be publicly available on the NFIB website.
Meet the team
Name and job title: Detective Inspector Amanda Lowe: Head of the National Fraud Desk
Where have you come from?
After working in a management position I joined British Transport Police in 1996, and then moved to the City of London Police in 2004. I have worked in a variety of roles throughout my service including Officer In Charge at Liverpool Street, head of operations at Snow Hill and on the Attorney Generals Fraud Review Programme within ECD.
So what do you do?
I am currently head of the National fraud Desk, which is the gateway to the NFIB. This enables me to influence the national operational response to fraud by ensuring each crime is assessed and placed with the correct force or agency.
When not at your desk you like to do?
Not an often occurrence; however I’m normally in the gym. I’m a keen runner and keep fit fanatic. My family live in Cumbria so I enjoy visiting my younger brothers and walking in the Pennines
