The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WTSA) has launched a new counter-fraud website that seeks to address the estimated £1.3bn of alcohol related fraud in the UK.
The new website, www.wstafraudreport.co.uk, allows alcohol producers, distributers and retailers to report suspected fraud through an online map. That will let the trade body pass on information about fraud to the authorities confidentially and protects the identity of the person submitting the information. The WSTA is calling on members of the trade to work together by reporting any fraudulent activity. Types of fraud that is anticipated to be reported includes failure to pay duty and counterfeit or illicit alcohol.
Miles Beale, Chief Executive of the London-based WSTA said: “Alcohol fraud in the UK damages businesses and consumers and deprives the Treasury of around £1.3bn annually in lost revenue. Yet too often information about incidents of fraud, particularly retail fraud, is insufficient or too fragmented for the authorities to use.
The WSTA takes this issue very seriously because it affects legitimate businesses whose existence is threatened by fraud. This is why we are further enhancing our counter-fraud measures with this bespoke website. It will allow the WSTA to pass on information about fraud to the authorities confidentially and protecting the identity of the person submitting it. We are urging all members of the trade to come forward to report any fraudulent activity so that together we can better identify alcohol related fraud where it occurs – and to call for a swift response.”
