Credit, collections & insolvency news
A new report by Lenvi Riskfactor has found that almost nine out of ten (89%) European business leaders have noted an increase in fraudulent activity against their businesses in the past year; with more than eight in ten (81%) expecting a continued increase through the current financial year (2023/24). This issue is compounded by the…
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The retail industry has seen a bigger rise in suspected digital fraud attempts coming from the UK than any other industry in the first half of 2023 based on the recent insights from TransUnion. The data shows that the rate of suspected digital fraud, when a consumer or a fraudster is in the UK during…
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The Government has paid out £7.39bn to settle bad Covid-era loans, with £2.23bn more in arrears and £750m in default. With data showing that the Government paid out £1.2bn to settle pandemic emergency loans that had gone bad in Q2, Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy figures suggest taxpayers could ending up paying £11.5bn…
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New research by UHY Hacker Young has shown that the number of ‘dawn raids’ undertaken by HMRC has increased 36% in the past year, from 458 in 2021/22 to 623 in 2022/23 HMRC ‘dawn raids’ are unannounced searches used to gather evidence for possible prosecution for tax fraud or for furlough fraud (HMRC is responsible…
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The director of haulage company fraudulently applied for a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan and then applied to dissolve the company has been jailed for 12 months. Kulwinder Sidhu, has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, after pleading guilty to offences under the Companies Act and the Fraud Act, having abused the Bounce Back Loan financial…
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Fraudulent activity for asset finance products has seen a 162% increase, according to fraud prevention service Cifas. As a result of the cost-of-living crisis, the asset finance industry is facing significant challenges, with rising costs causing a surge in fraud. The motor finance sector has been particularly hard-hit, seeing a 13% increase in fraud in…
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With the pandemic having accelerated the shift away from face-to-face credit applications, the fraud landscape continues to evolve – and this trend shows no signs of a reversal. Given the inherently remote and anonymous nature of internet-based credit decisioning, this presents higher risks for lenders. The lender landscape has changed too. More consumer payment options,…
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The latest report from the National Audit Office (NAo) into the Covid-19 business support schemes criticizes the Government for not doing more to prevent mistakes and fraudulent claims when rolling out the programs. The NAO said a total of £4.5 billion or nearly 4.6% of the total cost of the Government’s £96.9bn emergency Covid-19 support…
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Financial professionals estimate over £295,000 is lost to invoice fraud per business, every year in the UK, whilst one in five (20%) finance professionals are unaware or unable to even estimate the cost of invoice fraud to their business according to research by Medius. The research found that with mounting pressure on finance teams, they…
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Insolvency and restructuring trade body, R3 has published a policy paper containing a number of recommendations to improve the UK’s fight against fraud. National Crime Agency estimates suggest fraud costs the UK economy around £190 billion a year, while research from the Office for National Statistics showed that instances of fraud increased by 41% between…
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Only 15% of The Bounce Bank Loan Scheme (BBLS) fraud has been investigated by the National Investigation Service in the past two years according to research by international law firm RPC. The Bounce Bank Loan Scheme, common to other COVID related support schemes, was heavily targeted by fraudsters. It was argued by the previous Government…
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Reuters has reported that Government data will show that around £1.1bn of small business loans made under Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) have been classified as suspected fraud. The Government’s current central estimate for bounce back loan fraud is for 7.5% of the total lent. In addition to the suspected fraud, banks have claimed £2.6bn…
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A retailer from Walsall has been disqualified from running companies for 9 years after abusing a £45,000 bounce back loan she was not entitled to. Rebecca Simmons was a director of Tia-Bella, trading from premises in Wolverhampton. The company, a specialty balloon and gifts retailer, was incorporated in March 2019 but just over 2 years…
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