Fraudulent activity rises threefold in the UK
A KPMG survey has revealed that fraudulent activity in UK has risen threefold over the last 12 months. The number of court cases involving fraud increased dramatically in 2008 with more than £1.1 billion worth of fraudulent activity the result of criminal charges. This is the second highest level of fraudulent activity since the survey was introduced over 20 years ago.
While you frauds in question involve activity by employees against employers in the main, there have also been significant increases in scams and Internet fraud across the board. KPMG is suggesting that while crime levels are at record highs there is still further potential for a significant increase throughout 2009 and possibly into 2010. The main reason for the jump in this criminal activity is the fact that more and more of the UK population are struggling financially and opportunities which the vast majority would have ignored in the past are now proving too tempting.
The above figure relates to "amateur" fraudsters as the professional fraudsters are simply in a league of their own and they have significantly increased their activity over recent months. It has never been more vital to be aware of scams, frauds and potential criminal activity both online and off-line as money becomes tighter and more and more people chase that extra buck.
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