Fraud and cyber crime

In the year ending September 2020, the estimated number of fraud incidents in the previous 12 months was 4.4 million fraud offences (ONS: Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales).

In 2019-20 we offered support to 7,074 people after they’d experienced fraud or forgery.

Every day, we see the devastation and misery that is the inevitable outcome of fraud. Some victims just want their money back, but others have had their trust destroyed. Whilst the financial loss will be important, the impact on someone’s daily life can be far reaching and long lasting.

Coming to terms with fraud, whether you are young or old, as with any other crime, can be a very long process for a victim. Victim Support (VS) works with other agencies to help take away the stigma that is often attached to fraud and give the victim the confidence to report it, knowing that they are not alone and will be taken seriously. While we can’t compensate the victim for their financial loss, we can work with them to piece their lives back together.

How Victim Support helps

We work closely with the City of London Economic Crime Unit, Cifas and Get Safe Online to help combat fraud and cyber crime. We work to ensure that people who experience fraud do not fall victim again and also to help prevent people becoming victims in the first place.

VS actively supports the ‘Prevent and Protect’ government policy and plays an important role combating fraud, ensuring that the victim’s voice is heard at the highest level in government through our membership of the Joint Fraud Taskforce (JFT). The JFT brings together the government, law enforcement and the banking sector to tackle fraud, raising awareness of the threats, removing the weak links in the systems and working to provide victims with the support they need and the respect that they deserve.

Building on our expertise in this area of crime, and with the help of Get Safe Online, we have also developed new e-learning training modules and associated tools that will better equip our staff and volunteers to understand the needs of people who have fallen victim to fraud and cyber crime. Towards the end of 2016, these e-learning modules will be made available to other organisations who wish to commission our services to equip their staff to better understand this crime area.

Our knowledge and understanding of the fraud and cyber environment and the engagement, expertise and influence that we bring to this sector means that we are the third sector partner of choice in combating such crime, ensuring victims receive the support they need and the respect that they deserve.

To find out more about commissioning our services, email us at bd.national@victimsupport.org.uk.

If you’ve been affected by fraud or cyber crime and would like information or support, request support using our online form or call our free Supportline on 08 08 16 89 111. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can contact us using Relay UK on 18001 08 08 16 89 111.