Anti-fraud scheme is a £2.5m success

Police in the North East have helped bank staff stop almost £2.5m falling into the hands of suspected fraudsters.

Northumbria Police trained bank, building society and Post Office staff to spot suspicious activity and catch offenders in the act – giving officers the chance to react in real time and block frauds.

The scheme is organised by UK Finance and – since in 2016 - has blocked £100m in fraudulent transactions nationwide.

Since Northumbria Police pledged its support three years ago officers have been called to 404 incidents, saving £2,499,713.

Of those, 243 criminal offences were identified and 30 arrests have been made.

Det Chief Inspector Sharon Chatterton said: “We’ve taken 404 calls and 310 of them were scams by fraudsters targeting some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

“It’s vitally important police forces work with financial institutions to prevent people falling victim.

“The very nature of these offences often mean by the time police receive a report, it is often too late to save the victim’s money, but this scheme means we have the chance to tackle fraud as it is happening.”

She added: “We would ask the public to remember their banks, the police and any reputable organisation would never ask you to withdraw money or make payment using ITunes or Google vouchers.

“I want to praise everyone involved in this initiative for making it a success.

“Praise goes especially the counter staff in banks and building societies because without their intervention it just wouldn’t work.”