The Analysis Editor’s Letter
Record-breaking £100m of fi nance fraud prevented
An industry-funding police force is making major strides in combatting criminal activity
Stephen Kiely Editor, CCRMagazine
stephen@ccrmagazine.co.uk
A specialist police unit which targets the
organised criminal gangs behind fraud prevented a record £101m from being stolen in 2021, the highest amount in the unit’s 20-year history. The Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) which is funded by the banking and fi nance industry, is made up of offi cers from the City of London Police and Metropolitan Police Service and colleagues from UK Finance. Investigations by the DCPCU during 2021
led to the arrest of 123 suspected criminals and 41 disruptions against 23 organised criminal gangs. 83 criminals were convicted following successful DCPCU operations. The unit also seized over £1.2m of assets. Several
involvement in scams exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, the unit
from going into the hands of criminals, a record amount in our 20-year history. “While criminals will seek out opportunities
to defraud the public, our close partnerships with the banking and fi nance industry and other partners including mobile-phone fi rms and the Crown Prosecution Service have been instrumental in bringing them to justice.” Katy Worobec, managing director
of individuals were jailed for their saw the
successful sentencing of an individual who sent out thousands of scam texts claiming to be from the NHS which harvested people’s personal and fi nancial details by off ering a Covid-19 vaccination. Other successful operations by the unit include the sentencing of an organised crime group to a combined total of over
eight
years in prison for committing benefi t fraud, and the jailing of a criminal who committed over £940,000 of fraud through harvesting customers’ details online and via mail theft. Detective chief inspector Gary Robinson,
the head of the DCPCU, said: “We are working tirelessly to disrupt
the organised
criminal gangs behind fraud and protect the public. I am immensely proud of the unit’s investigations which have prevented £101m
May 2022
www.CCRMagazine.com
The unit’s work in tackling organised criminal gangs has stopped stolen money from funding other serious criminal activities, including
human traffi cking and drugs smuggling
economic crime at UK Finance, said: “The DCPCU’s impressive results are an important example of the banking and fi nance industry’s close collaboration with law enforcement on protecting the public from fraud. “The unit’s work in tackling organised criminal gangs has stopped stolen money from funding other serious criminal activities, including terrorism, human traffi cking and drugs smuggling. “Unfortunately, criminals will continue to
terrorism,
try and scam the public, so we urge everyone to follow the advice of our Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign: always take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information. Commander Nik Adams, from the City
of London Police, said: “Criminals used the global pandemic to prey on people’s fears and anxieties to steal their money, and offi cers from the DCPCU worked relentlessly throughout to protect the public. “The unit continues to go from strength
to strength and it is a testament to offi cers’ hard work that, in the year of their twentieth anniversary, they have prevented a record amount of £101m from going into the hands of criminals.” Enjoy the magazine! CCR
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