p12-13 news/fraud feb27 25/2/09 20:01 Page 12
news PROFiT launch
ttglive.com
A travel trade/police body was set up to combat fraud last week.
Rupert Murray was at Scotland Yard for its inaugural meeting
Industry eager to
fight fraudsters
AN ANTI-FRAUD group for devastating effect on con-
the travel industry has sumers. I hope this close
been inundated with inter- and collaborative relation-
est from firms keen to help ship will prove successful in
fight fraud. identifying and tackling the
Following the first meet- fraudsters before they can
ing of PROFiT (Prevention of do their damage.”
Fraud in Travel), which was Mike Monk, Abta head
held at Scotland Yard last of finance, said: “If we
friday, chairman Barry are going to beat the fraud-
Case study: From call centre to fraudster
Gooch said scores of compa- Learn more about PROFiT at
profit.uk.com sters, it is essential all of us TRAVEL’S newly created anti-fraud organisa-
nies have called him to get in the travel industry work tion, PROFiT, turned to a former fraudster to
involved. together and with the police to share information highlight the issue when it met for the first
Abta estimates £10 million each year is stolen and raise awareness with the public. time last week.
by fraudsters targeting the industry, while the “The cost of fraud should not just be measured Elliot Castro travelled the world first-class,
OFT believes about 400,000 British holidaymak- in terms of lost money, but also in the misery and stayed in five-star hotels and lived a million-
ers are hit by travel scams every year. disappointment caused to the public when their aire's lifestyle while still in his teens.
PROFiT, the travel industry initiative which is dream holiday goes up in smoke. He was eventually caught, although not be-
part of the Met’s Operation Sterling anti-fraud “We have joined PROFiT to try to keep one fore he had defrauded more than £1 million.
strategy, will provide businesses with tips and step ahead of the criminals.” Speaking at Scotland Yard, he told how his
procedures to spot and avoid fraud. Last year, a gang of four fraudsters estimated criminal activity had begun in a call centre.
Gareth Thomas, government minister for to have defrauded holidaymakers out of £10 mil- “I realised that I had access to a lot of per-
consumer affairs, said: “When fraud does occur lion over 12 years, was jailed after a major sonal details, so started writing them down in
in the holiday sector, it can have a particularly investigation involving Abta. a notepad. At the time, I wasn’t sure what I
was going to do with them, but later used
them to steal peoples’ identities and money.
PROFiT would
Monk said he first became aware of organised “I saw it as a victimless crime at the time
fraud more than 10 years ago but others in the because I knew they would get their money
have helped Abta
travel industry were sceptical. back. But I didn’t take into account the incon-
“When I first said that I believed some of the venience and shock.”
losses and failures we were seeing were linked, Castro revealed that some companies have
ABTA head of finance Mike Monk drew on his the reaction was as if I had been watching too more stringent procedures than others for
personal experience of fraud to highlight the many episodes of The Bill,” he added. protecting people’s personal information and
importance of PROFiT. “No one believed it was organised criminals. that some banks are easier to manipulate.
He admitted when he discovered fraudulent Fraudsters realised they could attack a variety of He also said he was able to exploit hotels
activity within Abta, he had no idea what to do. businesses without us realising it was the same simply by hanging around reception. “I would
In 2005, Abta lawyer Ricardo Nardi was jailed people.” get someone’s name who had just checked in,
for four-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to As soon as Monk started sharing information then go to my room, call reception and ask to
stealing almost £100,000 from the association. with others, they realised that many of them be put through to them.
Monk said: “I knew what I had, but didn’t know were aware of the same suspects. “I would then pretend I was reception and
what to do next or who to talk to about it. “Some fraudsters are targeting call centres say there had been a problem with their
“Part of PROFiT is to develop good-practice and planting colleagues into them to get infor- credit card and ask them for various pieces of
guides, so that companies can try to prevent mation on card details, addresses and all kinds of information.”
fraud, but if it does happen, they know what to do.” other stuff,” he said.
12 27.02.2009
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