The National Fraud Authority (NFA) launched the first of a series of regional fraud summits in London on July 6. It was drawing together some of the regional representatives of key organisations in the finance, insurance and banking sectors to officially unveil its 2009-10 key priorities.
The 14 priorities include the launch of a new fraud ID taskforce, a project to develop improved support for fraud victims, further activity building on the NFA’s mortgage fraud work and plans for high-profile public awareness campaigns.<br>Attorney General, Baroness Scotland QC, said: “In order to tackle fraud we need to work together. These summits are an excellent example of how the organisation is bringing together regional and national, public and private sector organisations to create a stronger and more effective response to fraudsters.<br>“Make no mistake, we are absolutely serious in tackling the pernicious threat that fraudsters pose to the UK economy and the harm they inflict on their victims. The fight has to be joined up if we are to tackle these criminals who look for weaknesses in our economy to rob us of over £14 billion annually." <br><br>NFA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Bernard Herdan CB, an interim chief exec of the SIA recently, said: “We are a delivery-focused organisation, working towards changing the very infrastructure of the counter-fraud response, while simultaneously addressing specific threats, such as identity fraud and better support for fraud victims.<br><br>“These summits are creating an opportunity to meet and talk with our regional counter-fraud partners. Through these events we are sharing our plans, finding out who we can work with and learning from their experiences to make sure our programme to fight fraud is as effective as possible.<br><br>“Working with regional leaders in both the public and private sectors ensures we are building our approach from the ground up so we can be a truly national authority.”<br><br>Two further NFA regional fraud summits are: in Newcastle on 13 July and another in Manchester on 15 July.<br><br>Meanwhile in a 34-page 2009-10 business plan, Dr Herdan spoke of how the NFA – a change of name from the earlier NFSA, or National Fraud Strategic Authority – was ‘committed to delivering a range of strategic and tactical responses that aim to strengthen and improve the fight against fraud’. However the document, while it spoke of an ‘ambitious programme of work’ that ‘ will require a substantial increase in the current staffing level of the organisation’, was strikingly short on actual action against fraudsters. Rather, the NFA stressed how it will gather data and work with others – in the private and public sectors, such as banks, retailers and insurance companies – and raise awareness, rather than actually act on any cases of fraud. <br><br>The document spoke of developing ‘a comprehensive counter-fraud strategy based on agreed national priorities’ – in other words, setting strategy and telling other people what to do about fraud, while ‘challenging the performance of others’. Or, in the language of the business plan, the NFA will ‘offer strategic direction of the counter-fraud response across England and Wales’. <br><br>For instance, on mortgage fraud, a national ‘taskforce’ is bringing law enforcement, regulators and private and public bodies. Also, as for the recession, the document spoke of how the "UK’s exposure to fraud risks changes significantly in an economic downturn. Specifically, more historical, but typically serious frauds come to light during these times, increasing demand on the wider counter-fraud system. The government’s activity in financial markets exposes it to novel fraud risks that need to be managed. The NFA, working with partners, will deliver a robust assessment of these and other changing risks. This assessment will be made available to the wider counter-fraud community to equip others to take steps to better protect themselves."<br><br>Dr Herdan said that the previously Old Queen Street, Westminser-based NFA will be co-located with the Serious Fraud Office in new, larger central London premises. The NFA is an executive agency of the Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General for instance is to chair a think tank, to ‘provide space for strategic/radical/blue skies thinking on future direction, particularly informed by fresh fraud data, updated fraud threat analysis or events which may have fuelled new public anxieties’.<br><br>The City of London Police (CoLP) is the lead force on fraud. CoLP are to launch a pilot of NFRC (a national fraud reporting centre) by the end of August 2009 (the web reporting capability) and by October 2009 (with additional call centre reporting capabilities. However, as the document indeed mentioned, the NFA already is querying if it has enough money to do all its jobs – or in the business plan’s words, if it has ‘resource to develop and deliver programme expectations’. The NFA also admitted the risk of lost credibility – that it ‘could be perceived as a “talking shop” that does not deliver productive change’.
