Punish the fraudsters

FOR too long, Britain’s hugely profitable banks have behaved with the utmost cynicism towards fraud victims and refused to pay out justified compensation. At the same time, they pushed more customers online by closing high street branches.

Thankfully, they may not get away with it for much longer, following a landmark ruling. One complainant has been refunded £12,000 by Santander because, the Financial Ombudsman found, they had fallen foul of a ‘sophisticated scam’ and had not been reckless with their personal data.

If there is any justice, the judgment will open the door for other fraud victims to claim their money back. It should also force the banks to tighten up protections and make more effort to recover their customers’ losses. But making banks financially liable is not enough. Fraudsters know that even in the vanishingly unlikely event that they are caught by the police, the sentences handed down by the courts are often pitiful.

So the Mail agrees wholeheartedly with Mick Gallagher, the head of Scotland Yard’s organised crime command, who today calls for tougher penalties which reflect the true impact on victims’ lives.

Fraudsters will never be deterred until the punishment fits the crime.

WHO could fail to be moved by Andy Murray’s tearful announcement that injury will, in short order, bring his career to a premature close?

He spoke yesterday, as he always played the game, with his heart on his sleeve. He is a true sporting legend and the Mail salutes him.