Transparency data

Joint Fraud Taskforce extraordinary stakeholder group: 28 November 2019

Published 23 July 2021

Attendees

• Chair: Mike Haley (Cifas)
• Marc Yeates (Insurance Fraud Bureau)
• John Formby (UK Finance)
• Jim Winters (Barclays Bank)
• Joel Lewis (Age UK)
• Darryl Preston (APCC)
• Alasdair McFarlane (RBS)
• Daniel Lawrence (BT)
• Adrian Gorham (O2 Telefonica)
• Kay Perry (Facebook)
• Neil Masters (Cifas / JFT Secretariat)
• Simon Bleckly (Warrington / Salford Councils)
• Graeme Biggar (NECC)
• Michael Cassel (Brent Council)
• Owen Rowland (Home Office)
• Louise Baxter (National Trading Standards)
• Duncan Tessier (Home Office)
• Melissa Dring (National Trading Standards)
• Katherine McNulty (Home Office / JFT Secretariat)
• Andrew Churchill (Emerging Payments Association)
• Albina Paloi (Home Office/ JFT Secretariat).
• Jane Lee (Emerging Payments Association)

Agenda item 1: Introductions and Opening remarks

1. Mike Haley (Chair, Cifas) welcomed attendees to the extraordinary meeting of the Joint Fraud Taskforce (JFT) Stakeholder Group.

2. Mike outlined that this extraordinary meeting has been called to ensure that all stakeholders are sighted on two reviews currently in progress in the fraud landscape.

Agenda item 2: Introduction to Project OTELLO

3. Graeme Biggar (NECC) provided an update on Project OTELLO.

4. Both the NECC-led Project OTELLO and the Home Office System Review are initiatives that have emerged as a result of a commission by the Economic Crime Delivery Board of 16 October.

5. The Home Office system review will provide a strategic review of the Fraud system and set out recommendations for sustained change to enhance our response to fraud, feeding into the Serious and Organised Crime Review. Whereas NECC’s Project OTELLO seeks to deliver immediate operational changes.

6. Both teams have been tasked with bringing forward proposals for a reinforced approach to fraud.

7. Graeme (NECC) explained that the objective of project OTELLO is to step up the current operational response to fraud by:

• driving a sustainable increase in operational activity against fraud
• delivering high impact campaigns featuring a 4P response to key fraud types (such as courier and investment fraud)
• harnessing intelligence capabilities across public & private sectors to better target our investigations against fraudsters and OCGs
• informing wider Home Office work to develop a step change to the national fraud response

8. The key themes from the discussion included:

• Resource - A step up in the immediate operational response without using new resources is difficult but can be achieved through collaboration and creative thinking
• Shared Intelligence - The development of a multi-agency intelligence cell with resource input from the private sector. Both BT and the Insurance Sector flagged their interest in providing resource to such an endeavour
• Communications Campaigns – Communications campaigns to educate the public on how to stay safe from fraud are a powerful tool. However, too many campaigns, with differing messages, can cause confusion. Across our organisations we need to provide a consistent message and consider how we combine Cyber and Fraud campaigns as the public do not differentiate between the two
• Social Media - Social Media is increasingly being used as a platform for recruiting Money Mules. The lack of awareness of the consequences of becoming a money mule, for young people, should be addressed

Agenda item 2: Introduction to Home Office System Review Work

9. Owen Rowland (Home Office) provided an update on the Home Office System Review work.

10. The aim of the fraud system review is to consider the current approach to tackling fraud against individuals and businesses, and to recommend an improved coherent system response.

11. The objectives are to:

• reduce the level of fraud
• reduce the harm from fraud, and
• improve the victim experience

12. Owen reminded attendees that we are in a pre-election period. Therefore, this work has been focused on evidence gathering rather than policy proposals.

13. The key themes from the discussion included:

• Enablers – Cyber-dependent enablers (i.e. data breaches) play a significant role in facilitating fraud. Other notable enablers include money mules, social engineering, ID theft and professional enablers. Attendees also noted that human vulnerabilities should also be considered as an enabler
• Sharing Intelligence - In order to make an informed decision in how we tackle fraud as a ‘coherent system’ we need to understand the threat picture better. There are currently significant gaps in the intelligence/evidence picture, which requires further conversations between analysts across all our organisations. There is need for more intelligence sharing between the local, regional and national levels
• Single Coordinating Voice – Currently there is no single source of authority on Fraud. There is a lot of activity occurring to tackle fraud, but no coordinating body. If we are to have a coherent system response, we need a coordinating power that has authority and the right levers to pull in the public and private sector
• International - We need a better understanding of the international enablers by working together with international jurisdictions and sharing intelligence. National Trading Standards agreed to share their call blocking data with BT to support BT’s work on assessing where fraudulent calls are coming from
• Local - There is an important role for local forces and local partnerships in delivering PROTECT advice, particularly to the vulnerable, and supporting victims of fraud. It needs to form part of a networked fraud system, that shares data and intelligence and to inform / be informed by PURSUE activity at a national and regional level

14. The main conclusion from the discussion was that greater coordination is required of all the activity occurring on Fraud across the public and private sectors. There is a role for JFT in developing this coherent single system response.

15. Mike (Cifas / Chair) thanked attendees for contributing to the discussions and reiterated that we must continue to build momentum on fraud, and as the chair of the JFT his mission is to encourage these productive conversations.

Action 1 – NECC to engage with BT and the Insurance sector to discuss opportunities for providing resource to a Multi-agency Intelligence cell