Case Studies

UK hotspots

by Mark Rowe

CIFAS the UK fraud prevention trade body has pointed to emerging hotspots of fraud activity in the UK during the first six months of 2013. While fraud remains at its most concentrated within the area of densest population (the boroughs of Greater London), some other areas have been shown to be fraud centres during the first half of the year.

In particular, postal districts around Slough, Luton, St Albans, Leicester and Coventry are areas where fraudulent activity has been most prevalent, as opposed to larger urban centres such as Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow. The top five parts by postcode are –

E6, East Ham District; SE18, Woolwich District; IG11, Barking; EN3, Enfield; and CR0, Croydon. Visit: http://www.cifas.org.uk/

London: the capital

With the highest population levels of the UK, it may be unsurprising that London is the area where the highest number of confirmed frauds has been committed during the first half of 2013. CIFAS Communications Manager, Richard Hurley, says: “That fraud is at its most prevalent in London is not surprising. This has been the case for many years. A larger population means more individuals who may consider making fraudulent applications, but it also means that there are more potential victims for an organised identity criminal. The top ten postal areas, however, show a divergence of locations within the Greater London boroughs: from Wembley and Enfield to East Ham and Barking, and from Woolwich and Thamesmead to Croydon. This shows that any notion that fraud is concentrated solely within a specific area of London is not true and that fraud can, and will, take place anywhere.”

Other hotspots

Outside the postal areas that fall within the Greater London boroughs, however, there are some notable clusters of activity – and these are not to be found in other large centres of population within the UK. Instead, the SL1 and LU1 postal areas (Slough and Luton) are the areas with the highest levels of fraud, while the Coventry and Leicester postcode areas both feature more than once in the top ten areas outside London (four times and twice respectively).

Richard Hurley adds: “What these figures prove is that fraud will take place anywhere. While Coventry and Leicester, for example, are populous cities, it is surprising to see these areas identified as having higher levels of fraud than other, much larger, cities. This demonstrates that fraud is no longer a crime that can simply be thought of as occurring in the largest cities. But it also presents a challenge to individuals and organisations based in these areas. It is vital that both work together with a view to diminishing the risks, not least to ensure that individuals understand what precisely constitutes fraud. For example, it is important that individuals and organisations share the responsibility of ensuring that personal data is protected from identity fraudsters who might be targeting these areas.”

A table shows the 10 postal areas (both within Greater London and the rest of the UK) with the highest numbers of confirmed frauds recorded during the first six months of 2013: http://www.cifas.org.uk/fraud_hotspots_julythirteen#sthash.ZjtYh3pN.dpuf

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