MPs informed that the National Crime Agency is employing ‘nerds’ to combat the surge of cyber fraud.

The home affairs committee of Parliament has been gathering information on fraud and has been informed that it has increased ‘exponentially’ over the last decade. The National Crime Agency (NCA) has stated that it is using “nerds” to deal with the significant increase in online fraud that has occurred in the past ten years. The committee found that the number of fraud offenses increased from 230,000 in 2013 to three million in 2023. It was also highlighted that an additional 30,000 police officers would be needed to address the issue.

Conservative MP Tim Loughton raised concerns about the approach to combating this type of crime, emphasizing the necessity for a specialized approach. Mr. James Babbage, the director general of the NCA, confirmed that the agency is indeed recruiting these expert individuals to combat fraud.

Nicholas Lord, a University of Manchester criminology professor, estimated that only 14 percent of frauds were reported to the police, and only 1 percent led to convictions. This led to disagreement between Mr. Loughton and Mr. Lord, as the MP questioned the UK’s position as world leaders in fraud prevention with such low conviction rates.

Mr. Babbage attributed the influx of fraud to online scams, particularly ‘authorized frauds’ where the scammer deceives an unsuspecting individual into giving away personal banking information. He emphasized that these criminals were focused on exploiting vulnerability on a large scale.

Additionally, Mr. Babbage highlighted a “pilot” program involving sharing more data with two banks, which was already in progress and under active discussion.

Furthermore, the City of London Police warned pensioners about the rise in courier frauds, where victims have been manipulated into transferring large sums of money or purchasing items to assist an investigation.

Finally, in the content div, the report emphasizes the development of a national fraud strategy by the government and the steps being taken to prioritize the tackling of fraud through dedicated squads and specialist investigators.



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