Abstract

Fraud costs the United Kingdom a reported £198 billion per year and the Crime Survey for England and Wales (March 2016) estimates that there are over 5 million incidents of fraud and 2 million cyber-related crimes committed annually. Preventing and investigating fraud has become a priority for police officers and establishing successful, effective strategies to tackle this new volume crime represents a significant and persistent challenge for the police service. This book offers practical, straightforward advice to law enforcement agencies dealing with fraud and economic crimes. The book identifies more than fifty different types of fraud and sets out the different strategic and tactical considerations in preventing, investigating, and disrupting each one. At the centre of the book is the Fraud Investigation Model (FIM), an effective framework encompassing multiagency working, recovery of evidence and victim management, as well as a range of useful features designed to demystify fraud terminology and provide accessible operational guidance.