Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
A criminal from London has been sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to four years and five months in prison after defrauding customers of potentially up to £500,000 over 19 months. The sentencing follows investigation and arrest by a specialist banking industry-sponsored police unit, the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU). Between October 2022 and…
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The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has set out its work programme for 2026/27 highlighting its focus on tackling high card fees, maintaining world-leading protections against Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud and supporting innovation and competition across UK payments. This year’s work plan sets out how the regulator will build on recent reforms, take forward further…
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New TSB data shows a series of recent scams in which criminals use social media to lure people into online friendships, then extract money ranging into the tens of thousands. TSB’s fraud expert, Stephanie Harrison, warns that ‘friendship fraud’ mirrors romance scams in its approach – with fraudsters building trust and rapport before demanding money.…
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Fraud prevention service, Cifas has revealed that more than 444,000 cases were recorded to the National Fraud Database (NFD) in 2025, the highest number ever recorded in a single year, and a 6% increase on 2024. The scale of fraud continues to accelerate, with Cifas members recording more than 1,200 cases every day and preventing…
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Nationwide Building Society has been fined £44 million by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for failing to manage financial crime risks from October 2016 to July 2021. The FCA found that Nationwide lacked adequate anti-financial crime systems, allowing customers to misuse personal accounts for business activities. This oversight led to missed opportunities in detecting £27.3m…
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Research by Synectics Solutions has revealed that 23% of individuals who commit credit card-related fraud go on to offend again, the highest repeat-offending rate of any major financial product. This figure has grown from 17% to 23% in just five years, representing a 35% increase. Repeat offenders are also spreading their activity across multiple organisations,…
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Lloyds Banking Group has announced that it has extended its pioneering fraud prevention scheme, reinforcing an unwavering commitment to protecting people from the harms of fraud. The industry-first initiative, launched in 2021, will have seen £15 million of frozen criminal funds seized, then invested in innovative UK fraud prevention and victim support projects. The scheme…
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Ahead of Black Friday, the UK’s busiest retail event, new research shows that AI is making consumers more susceptible to purchase scams. As fraudsters change tactics and turn to SMS/text to directly target victims, Barclays is urging deal-seekers to act with caution to stay protected when shopping in this year’s sales. Three in four UK…
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Three men from London have been sentenced to a combined 10 years and four months after stealing a combined £568,000 from victims by fraudulently posing as bank customers and gaining access to their accounts. The sentencing follows investigation and arrest by a specialist banking industry-sponsored police unit, the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU).…
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A new report by Experian and Cifas has revealed a 9% rise in identity fraud, signalling the significant scale of fraud facing UK businesses as the festive season approaches. The data also highlights the new tactics criminals are deploying to exploit people and their personal information, and the steps businesses can take to protect themselves…
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New research by the Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), in partnership with Cifas and Tietoevry has found that scammers stole an estimated £9.4 billion from consumers over the past 12 months with the report highlighting that one in five (20%) adults say they were targeted and had money taken, with the average victim having £878.60 stolen. The…
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TSB has reported an 11% increase in purchase fraud cases from January to September 2025, with these scams making up 63% of bank transfer fraud, up from 52% in 2024. Victims lost an average of £452 per scam. Experts advise consumers to verify sellers and use secure payment methods to avoid falling victim to these…
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Fraud prevention service, Cifas has announced a partnership with Trend Micro to deliver JustMe, a first of its kind mobile app designed to protect individuals from identity fraud and online scams. Fraud accounts for as much as 44% of all recorded crimes in England and Wales, with an estimated £219 billion annual cost to the UK…
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