£105,613.55 of fraud has been prevented and 13 arrests made by Cumbria Constabulary thanks to the introduction of the Banking Protocol, a ground-breaking scheme aimed at identifying and protecting potential fraud victims when they visit a bank or building society branch. Since it was introduced by Cumbria Constabulary in July 2017, a total of 48 emergency calls have now been placed and responded to through the scheme.
Developed as a partnership between the finance industry, police and Trading Standards the Banking Protocol enables bank branch staff to contact police if they suspect a customer is in the process of being scammed, with an immediate priority response to the branch. Branch staff, call handlers, police and trading standards officers in each area have all been trained in the Banking Protocol and the steps that need to be taken when a customer is at risk. Across the country the Banking Protocol has now led to a total of 197 arrests and prevented almost £25m in fraud, while 3,682 emergency calls have now been placed and responded to through the scheme.
As well as stopping frauds taking place, the scheme ensures a consistent response to potential victims and gives them extra support to prevent them becoming a victim in the future. UK Finance has led the development and implementation of the Banking Protocol, with support from the National Trading Standards Scam team and the Joint Fraud Taskforce.
Detective Sergeant Stephanie Goulding, Cumbria Constabulary, said: “This initiative is making a significant impact on preventing vulnerable people falling victim of fraudsters. We will continue to work closely with financial institutions to continue this valuable work, but urge people to remain vigilant.
“I’d like to appeal to friends and family to speak to others and help them be aware of scammers who unfortunately will continue to target those they think they can easily scam.
“We’d encourage anyone who thinks they have been a victim of fraud to contact police on 101 and also report to Action Fraud.”
Katy Worobec, Managing Director of Economic Crime at UK Finance, commented: “Fraud can have a devastating impact on victims and is often targeted at the most vulnerable people in society, which is why we must work together to prevent it.
“The Banking Protocol shows how close cooperation between the industry and law enforcement can help to protect victims and crack down on fraudsters.
“This kind of joined-up approach is crucial to stay one step ahead and ensure that unscrupulous scammers preying on customers are brought to justice.”
