New suppliers appointed for Action Fraud service replacement

City of London Police has appointed two new suppliers to provide the fraud and cybercrime reporting service which will replace Action Fraud.

Capita PLC has been appointed to operate the contact centre on behalf of the City of London Police and provide the technology to enable reporting, such as a new website and reporting tool. PwC UK will provide the technology services for the crime and intelligence management that underpins the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). PwC UK will also support the City of London Police integrate and manage the services.

The new service with both suppliers will become operational in Q2 2024.

Angela McLaren, Commissioner of the City of London Police, said:

“The transformation of the current Action Fraud and National Fraud Intelligence Bureau is a much needed and critical component of the national Fraud Strategy. 

“Key to success is having the right supply chain, and, after a rigorous procurement process, I am confident we have secured quality suppliers who will work with us in delivering our aims and objectives.”

Chris Bell, Service Delivery Director at the City of London Police, said:

“We are delighted to announce the appointment of our new supply chain as this is such an important milestone in the journey to transforming our services and ultimately launching our new fraud and cyber reporting and victim care service to replace Action Fraud.

“Becoming a victim of fraud and cybercrime can be devastating emotionally as well as financially, so it is vitally important that we have an enhanced service to be able to take reports, provide support to victims and work across law enforcement to go after fraudsters, inform the public on how to protect themselves and take down the infrastructure criminals use to facilitate fraudulent activity.”

The new service will:

• Make it easier for everyone to report fraud and cybercrime, taking the burden out of reporting and speeding up the time it takes to report.
• Let victims know what has happened with their report, including when reporting has aided others to be protected.
• Protect more people and businesses from fraud and cybercrime through giving targeted and timely advice on how to avoid the latest fraud threats.
• Significantly improve the speed and quality of information provided to law enforcement partners, boosting their chances of successful prosecutions.
• Block and disrupt crime through providing real time information to institutions and organisations who can taken down fraudulent websites, activities and bank accounts which we know are enabling criminal activity.

Reports made to the new service, as well as those reports made to CIFAS and UK Finance, will continue to be sent to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), based within the City of London Police, for analysis.

The centralised intelligence function allows for fraud and cybercrime reports from across the country to be linked, and for a better co-ordination of policing resources to investigate crimes and protect victims. This service will be enhanced significantly, using the latest technology and an increased workforce to manage the reports and case work incoming to the service.

The new service has received £152 million of funding from the Home Office and City of London Corporation to support the build and run of the service for the next five years.

The funding will be used to:

• Pay for the suppliers’ contracts to deliver the technology upgrade and functional enhancement.
• Provide an uplift in resource within the new contact centre and the NFIB to amplify protect and prevent policing efforts (giving the public information on how to protect themselves from fraud), alongside pursue activities (operational work going after criminals).
• Increase skills and resources to deliver an improved service.
• Enhance the use of data and intelligence across law enforcement, government and industry to disrupt assets used by criminals.

Jon Lewis, Capita’s Chief Executive Officer, said:

“We are incredibly proud to be chosen to deliver the new fraud reporting service for City of London Police, and are focused on providing an empathetic and seamless service for all potential victims of fraud.

“This new contract is testament to our proven track record of delivering digitally enabled customer management for citizens – including some of the most vulnerable people in society – and reflects our commitment to delivering an outstanding service to our public sector clients.”

Scott Logan, Partner at PwC UK, said:

“The recently published National Fraud Strategy was an important step forward in the UK’s fight against cybercrime and fraud. We’re privileged to be delivering the technology solution which will help underpin that fight.

“We look forward to working alongside City of London Police and our technology alliance partner, Palantir, bringing our experience in delivering technology programmes and expertise in managing risks around cyber and economic crime to help deliver this vital service to citizens and businesses.”

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said:

“Empowering victims to report fraud is critical to our fight against scammers. It’s crucial that those who come forward are confident their case will be acted upon, and receive the level of service they deserve.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates that we’re not wasting any time in delivering our new Fraud Strategy and replacing Action Fraud. The new fraud and cybercrime reporting service will be backed by advanced technology and highly trained staff. It will simplify and improve the reporting experience for the public while giving law enforcement the intelligence they need to investigate and disrupt more fraudsters.”

James Thomson, Chair of the City of London Police Authority Board, said:

“This new system will boost the UK’s ability to tackle economic crime and stop scammers from exploiting people. It will deliver a first-class service with better intelligence and victim care, helping to protect communities right across the UK.

“Fraud is now the most common crime in the country making up for over 40 per cent of all offences, ruining lives and costing the economy £4.3 billion a year. “It is also a threat to our nation’s competitiveness, and we will do everything we can to stamp it out.”

The existing Action Fraud service and systems behind the service will remain in place until the new service is fully operational, meaning there will be no gap in service for victims of fraud and cybercrime.