If you’ve read our news posts before, you’ll know that at datamills we’re passionate about data security.
We’re often making you aware of different types of internet scams and frauds.
We want to raise awareness, so that you’re pre-armed against these types of attacks.
We’ve also mentioned, on several occasions, the national, government and police organisations involved in the fight against online crime. You probably know that you can report fraud to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting service, run by a private sector company for the NFA.
But is it worth it? What actually happens after you report a fraud?
Well, a recent news story shows that your reporting can yield results – significant results, taking criminal gangs out of action with long prison terms.
Gang of fraudsters jailed for 43 years by the Metropolitan Police after reports to Action Fraud
A gang of 10 fraudsters has been jailed for a total of more than 43 years for their parts in the theft of millions of pounds from businesses and individuals in the UK and abroad. The large-scale “diversion fraud” scam used hacking software to trick people out of their money. But, following reports to Action Fraud, and after a six-month trial, the gang were sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on Thursday, 2 May. Their crimes included conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, conspiracy to conceal/transfer criminal property (money laundering), and acquiring/possessing criminal property.
Officers from the Met’s Falcon Fraud Squad launched the investigation after receiving referrals from Action Fraud. Detectives identified a total of 228 separate frauds committed by the same network between 2014 to 2018, and totalling £10,112,312.54. A total of 69 victims provided evidence during the trial.