City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) has launched a new campaign with the warning that ‘there’s more at stake when it’s a fake’.

The campaign highlights the many consequences of buying counterfeit goods online, including identity crime. When buying items, people will part with personal details such as their address and financial information which allows fraudsters to set up new websites selling counterfeit goods in their name.

Action Fraud has received over 15,000 reports linked to identity crime in the last year (April 2016 – March 2017) which shows the extent of the growing problem. In addition 400 victims have been contacted by PIPCU in the last two years to inform them that their identity is believed to have been stolen and open websites in their name after they had previously purchased counterfeit items online.

Find out more about the More At Stake campaign.

How to prevent identity theft with safe shopping

Trust your instincts. If an offer looks too...

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Action Fraud is warning people to be wary following reports of a letter claiming to be from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).

The letter is being sent to victims of fraud offering them the opportunity to have their money returned. To receive the money, it asks them to send their personal details to a South African bank. However, it uses the NFIB branding and the name of the City of London Police’s Commissioner to appear credible. The fraudsters are sending these letters so that they are able to gather bank details and defraud people who have already fallen victim to fraud.

Protect yourself from fraud recovery fraud:

• Be ready for fraud recovery scams if you’ve been a victim in the past. Challenge any letters from people you don’t know or companies you’ve never contacted. Clarify any letters directly with the relevant organisation.

• If you’re asked to pay, or give your bank account details, end all contact.

• Ask how they found out that...
  
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Action Fraud is warning horse racing enthusiasts following reports of investment fraud cases in the equestrian community.

Action Fraud has received 20 complaints of investment fraud relating to horse racing since June with a total loss of £11,350. The suspects claim to use software for placing horse racing bets on the victim’s behalf. However, once payment has been made to the fraudsters, often methods to contact them are closed down and the victim does not hear from the fraudsters again.

Action Fraud has also noticed the re-emergence of other investment frauds where an individual is encouraged to invest in ownership of a race horse. People are contacted about these non-existent opportunities primarily by post; however, after the fraudsters have received payments, the individual finds they are no longer able to get in contact with the company.

Protect yourself from investment fraud:

• Investment into a racing horse as part of a syndicate may in some instances fall within a...
  
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I want to ask you to put all your preconceptions to one side for the five minutes it will take to read this and for a short while afterwards. If you use the links below and read the Six Missed Chances report from the IPCC, which is published today and follows the death of James Herbert in Somerset in 2010, your instinct may be that some of it is not practical. I fully and freely admit, that was my instinct when I read a draft copy of it last year and I’ve had to really think about this because it’s challenging us to think again about whether we can think differently. I suspect and do understand some officers may wonder whether the IPCC actually understand police work at all or live in the real world – social media shows these questions are emerging as people read the media coverage that is coming out. I would suggest they read the report instead, because it’s not the longest thing of this type you’ll ever see.

A man died here – the report merely asks the service to think again about whether we could think or act...

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September 21^st 1992.

The day I took the oath and began an adventure – a love affair – that has continued for the last 25 years.

I love policing.

When you strip away all the noise and the nonsense, it turns out to be as extraordinary as a job can be. It’s about saving lives and finding the lost. It’s about comforting the broken and protecting the vulnerable. It’s about confronting the violent and pursuing the dangerous. Sometimes, it’s about risking it all.

I love police officers.

When you listen to the stories of their working lives, they turn out to be as extraordinary as people can be. People who confront armed terrorists. People who give CPR on dusty pavements. People who enter smoke-filled buildings. People who whisper words of comfort to the dying. People who work all the hours in all the weather. People who talk down the haunted and the hurting. People who put up with every kind of abuse. People who, without hesitation, put themselves in harm’s way. People who venture repeatedly into the hurting places....

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