Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
A Derby businessman who used Covid support scheme funds on online trading platforms has been jailed. Temidola Ojelabi secured £80,000 across two Bounce Back Loan applications for Platinum Gates Limited in 2020 when businesses were only entitled to a single loan. Money from the loans was then used on online trading platforms when it should…
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Taxpayers lost £10.9 billion to fraud and error as the previous government’s pandemic response left the front door open to fraud, an independent commissioner report has found. The Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner, Tom Hayhoe’s, final report to Parliament finds many schemes – including Bounce Back Loans and Eat Out to Help Out – were rolled…
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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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A music producer who falsified bank statements to convince a finance provider to lend his company £150,000 and fabricated invoices to HMRC has been disqualified for the maximum term of 15 years. Felix Milton dramatically misrepresented the financial position of his company, The Nameless Ltd, by millions of pounds in obtaining the loan in the autumn of 2021. Earlier that year, the company secured…
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A company claiming to provide financial services, which received around £175,000 from a client but failed to deliver promised services, has been shut down. Basic Prime Limited claimed to provide trade finance guarantees and credit enhancement services but was suspected by Insolvency Service investigators of operating an advance fee fraud scheme. The company at no…
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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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Businesses, charities and other high-value bank account holders are being targeted by fraudsters using software to steal tens of thousands of pounds with the amount stolen from some individual accounts exceeding £1 million, according to new research from the Cyber Defence Alliance (CDA) and Cifas. The scam begins with a phone call and ends with…
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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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