Government backs new fraud reporting centre
The government has launched a three-year National Fraud Strategy to combat online fraud, aided by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The Strategy, launched by the National Fraud Strategic Authority, will consist of over 25 private and public sector organisations, and will complement a range of government measures to ensure a fairer deal for consumers.
Nick Starling, director of general insurance and health at the ABI which helped to develop the strategy, added: "We must end the myth that fraud is a victimless crime. Its victims are every household and business in the UK. Fraudulent insurance claims add £40 a year to the insurance premiums paid by honest customers. This is why insurers are intensifying their efforts to tackle fraud on behalf of their honest policyholders. But the complex nature of many fraud cases, often involving different agencies, makes a more co-ordinated and strategic approach essential."
The strategy has four aims: improving the building and sharing of knowledge about fraud through the establishment of a new National Fraud Reporting Centre and National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, tackling the most serious and harmful fraud threats, disrupting and punishing fraudsters while improving support to their victims and improving the nation's long-term capability to prevent fraud.
Baroness Scotland, the Attorney General, said: "The Strategy makes clear that there are fair rules which apply to individuals, communities and businesses alike and there will be clear consequences for those who break them."