Thirty-seven organisations have joined forces as of today to launch a new anti-fraud strategy.
The 37 backers of ‘Fighting Fraud Together’ include the Council of Mortgage Lenders, Financial Services Authority, British Bankers Association, Land Registry and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors – but not the NAEA.
Also included are various not-for-profit organisations, lawyers and crime-fighting agencies.
Fraud is estimated to cost the UK £38bn every year and much of it is property-related.
It is the first time there has been such a large-scale joint commitment to tackle fraud.
All 37 partners will contribute to and be accountable for the success of the campaign. They will concentrate on expanding and extending successful activities that already exist in their sectors, while sharing fraud intelligence to prevent and disrupt the activities of fraudsters.
Fighting Fraud Together will place strong emphasis on preventing fraud through greater fraud awareness and self-protection, combined with stronger government and industry prevention systems and controls. It also sets out a more effective approach to enforcement.
Examples of the new initiatives that are being progressed under the initiative include sharing intelligence, more meticulous reporting of fraud, and increased efforts to shut down money laundering channels.
The aim is to bring more fraudsters to justice and give more redress to victims.
Speaking at the Fighting Fraud Together launch, James Brokenshire MP, Minister for Crime and Security, said: “I applaud the different organisations and industry groups that have joined together today to play their own part in Fighting Fraud Together. By sharing what we know, we will reduce fraud.
“Fraud causes serious harm to the public, to businesses and the wider economy. For too long, fraud has almost been seen as a victimless crime. It isn’t, and too often the victims are some of the most vulnerable members of our community. That’s why this new strategy is important to better target, prosecute and prevent it.
“The creation of a new Economic Crime Command as part of the National Crime Agency will also provide a more effective, better co-ordinated and intelligence-led response across all economic crime-fighting agencies.”
Comments
Just like a Spaghetti Western everyone runs and hides as soon as trouble comes to town!
What is the matter are you all freely just a little bit guilty that you might have favoured one of you regular clients over an unknown buyer?
Might have quietly convinced a vendor that an identical offer from a Landlord client is the one to go for.
Perhaps it is the Golf , Rotary, Lions etc club mates who get favoured?
Whatever! There is not an identifiable officer at the national ass who is in the slightest bit interested in this subject.
You folks will give the HPC crowd a right toasting whenever they raise their heads how come no-one want to take on this topic?
With the internet making it all too easy to find completion prices and with your supposed legal obligation to record all offers in writing it shouldn't be too difficult to impliment a system that can be tracked and checked.
It will never happen, imagine the disgrace for all those well established community figures being exposed as the rogues they are.
The reason I bet most don't want to engae in this discussion is guilt.
Yes and passed to NAEA who did not even reply to my letter
I have made offers on two separate properties some months apart through the same agent. As an un-encumbered buyer who always completes with 4 weeks of offer I am troubled how or why both properties would complete with other applicants, according to land registry data, £20k and £25k below my offers. More puzzling is why one is now rented out through the Lettings department of the selling firm.
Another local firm took an offer I made, no other offers has been received, and passed on the acceptability of my offer to one of their regular Beenies (amateur developers) who exchanged and churned the property 6 months later.
NAEA; nothing actually ever achieved?
Couldn't agree more with Watching if I tried.
I've had extensive involvement with a couple for the past thirty months who had horrendous problems, largely brought on by some poor decisions themselves but also in part through circumstances beyond their control including serious illness and redundancy.
They are honest, decent people who like millions(?) of other already (or if not, by the latter part of 2012), found themselves overwhelmed and drowning.
They have done everything needed and asked of them by some pretty insensitive and uncaring organisations to get themselves sorted out. All they needed was a bit of time and help as they have taken a responsible attitude, asked for help (almost too late but in time) and dragged themselves out of it, stayed together and kept the roof over their heads.
They have paid off credit card balances, council tax arrears, heavy mortgage arreras and utility problems. They now owe nobody nothing, though life financially is still very tight for them and again like millions of others it is only low interest rates that help them survive.
But as Watching so rightly says, what is the future for them? Why having demonstrated a responsible attitude and paid off all debts aren't slates wiped clean. They are probably tarnished for ever and it is just not fair or right.
I would like to know what fraudsters they intend to uncover.
It rather looks to me like a sharing of intelligance to prevent anyone who had past difficulty with finance getting on their feet again.
They may well stop 2 or 3 fraudsters if they are lucky, but they will definitely stop 200,000 to 300,000 normal UK citizens ever having a second chance at a normal life.
Well done fellas
@Joseph Public
Any proof?
However, I give this " initiative" (yet another!) about three months and I doubt it will be heard much of again.
Of course not the NAEA, that would mean them having to properly investigate claims against their members not passing on offers and ultimately selling properties at reduced prices to their developer mates.
NAEA; Not actually Estate Agents!
NAEA................?? mmm interesting