Mass marketing awareness day

City of London Police has been on the streets today (1 June) to warn people about the dangers of mass marketing fraud.

Actors near Liverpool Street station offered passers-by “free money” to highlight the way that fraudsters lure victims. Officers were on hand to give out fraud-prevention advice and flyers.

The work is part of an international awareness day to encourage victims to speak up, make a noise about fraud, and stop criminals succeeding.

Organisations in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands have been working to raise awareness of fraud.

Millions of Britons are being targeted by organised criminal gangs using the latest mass marketing techniques to defraud them of an estimated £3.5 billion a year. Mass marketing fraud includes romance frauds and fake lotteries, share frauds and inheritance scams.

Amongst the activities undertaken by the City of London Police in the past week:

• Nine people charged in connection with a boiler room fraud worth in excess of £20 million.
• Two men, aged 21 and 22, arrested in Manchester in connection with a suspected lottery fraud
• A 46-year-old man arrested in Enfield, Middlesex, on suspicion of false representation in connection with an ongoing boiler room investigation.
• A property in Braintree, Essex searched in connection with an ongoing lottery fraud investigation
• A 43-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of money laundering in North London as part an ongoing investigation into money laundering
• Search in West Sussex, as part of an ongoing share fraud investigation
• Searches at various locations in London linked to misuse of accommodation addresses
• The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has been used to identify and targeting those behind mass marketing fraud

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Clark from the City of London Police’s Economic Crime Directorate said:

"City of London Police works year round to highlight that this is not a victimless crime, to bring to justice those responsible and to use our powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Today’s international response to the threat of this fraud will send a clear message to the heartless criminals who target the vulnerable: you are on our radar. This activity is not a one off; it is a springboard for sustained action in countering this threat.

“The NFIB, which becomes fully operational in June, is a key tool in helping police to identify the people behind this type of crime and locate where they are operating from.”

The City of London Police, working in partnership with the public and private sector, has created the NFIB, one of the most advanced intelligence systems in the world, analysing millions of previously unconnected reports of fraud to identify patterns in offending and provide intelligence packages to police forces across the UK.

When it comes to mass marketing, police warn that the traditional Nigerian ‘419’ scam letter or email, which many people know and avoid, is the tip of the iceberg. Frauds are getting more plausible and more sophisticated as criminals try to stay one step ahead of public awareness and law enforcement action.

Below is advice that should help you stay clear of the mass-marketing fraudsters:

• Don’t stay silent. If you’ve been targeted by a fraudster and lost money, contact Action Fraud at http://www.actionfraud.org.uk (opens on new window) or on 0300 123 2040.
• Remember - if you haven’t entered a competition, you won’t have won a prize
• If someone is legitimate they won’t pressurise you and they won’t mind you checking them out
• Never send money to strangers
• Never give out personal details or financial information to strangers
• Never return a call to strangers or unfamiliar phone numbers
• Look out for bad spelling and grammar, they are often a sign of a fraudulent organisation
• Ask questions. If someone is elusive about answering, break off contact.
• Don’t commit straight away - talk to someone you trust first.
• Remember that websites can be faked too, and that someone may claim to work for a well-known company. Always check the real company’s details against the ones you have been given, and ring them direct if you are in doubt.