The fight against scammers chasing Covid continues


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A total of 67 suspected fraudsters were arrested in the first half of this year fighting the growing tide of financial fraud










In the fight against the growing tide of financial fraud, 67 suspected fraudsters were arrested in the first half of this year.

Several of those arrested were involved in scams to exploit the pandemic, including the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), a specialized fraud team funded by the banking and finance industries.

The unit prevented around £ 85 million from being stolen from the public, up from £ 20 million all last year. In addition, 24 organized criminal gangs were “disrupted”.

Coronavirus fraud: According to the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit, several of those arrested were involved in fraud to exploit the pandemic

The DCPCU consists of officials from the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police Service, as well as staff from the UK Finance Association.

They fight a growing number of fraud cases as criminals try to take advantage of the pandemic.

A criminal was sentenced to more than four years in prison for sending thousands of fraudulent texts about a vaccine, allegedly from the NHS, which he then used to collect people’s personal and financial information. Fraud cases, in which fraudsters pretend to be from a bank or official organization, more than doubled in the first half of this year to 33,115.

This type of fraud alone stole a total of £ 129.4 million, compared to £ 57.9 million in the same period last year. Temporary Commander Clinton Blackburn of the City of London Police warns that criminals continue to use the pandemic to exploit people’s fears. He says, “It is important that the public remain vigilant before they part with money or personal information.”

The Mail on Sunday has fought to get more resources into our “Nail the scammers” campaign.

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