The fourth North West Fraud Conference was held at the Reebok Station, Bolton, on 11 February 2010. The conference focussed on the impact of Identity Theft on individuals and businesses, drawing on a wide range of speakers who talked about their own experiences and about steps that are being taken to improve the UK’s response to this fraud.

Rosie Cooper, MP for West Lancashire, opened the conference by talking about her own experience of identity theft and of the difficulty in getting someone to recognise and help her deal with the problem. Rosie contrasted her frustrating experience with others who might not have the same level of financial understanding and who would need access to someone who would in her words, “just ‘Do Something’ about the problem”.

The UK’s response to understanding the extent of fraud so that key problems could be investigated was presented over two sessions led by Cordia Lewis, National Fraud Authority, and Detective Superintendent Dave Clarke, Project Director for Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. Coming hard on the heels on the North West rollout of Action Fraud the week before, Cordia and Dave spoke about the fantastic progress there has been in setting up reporting, analysis and advisory services that the public and business can draw on to report all types of fraud. It is early days for both initiatives, but

the amount of questions these sessions drew demonstrated just how interested the NWFF delegates were in understanding how they can support the National Fraud Authority and the City of London Police.

The practitioner’s view came into focus during the afternoon, with Sara Marshall, Director of Identity Rights, talking about how the Identity and Passport Service, working with ACPO, is addressing identity fraud prevention through communications programmes and the rollout of the improved passports and identity cards across the UK. Keith Jones and Matthew Neilson of the Royal Mail generated a lot of interest from businesses with the proposals to combine mail data with other information sources to pinpoint addresses where identity fraud might be taking place. Finally, Alex Deane from the Business Insolvency Service and Julian King from Greater Manchester Police presented on the impact and investigation of Long Firm Fraud, especially considering the effect of this crime on small businesses.

The conference ended with a reminder to delegates to engage with the NWFF’s forum, which has been launched at (please Register and join the debate)Networking opportunities at the bar followed, with the chance to catch up with old friends and make new contacts.

The North West Fraud Forum Conference will return to the Reebok Stadium in February 2011. Further details will be posted soon on the North West Fraud Forum website.

Action Fraud
Have you been a victim of fraud - follow this link to report a crime or obtain advice

Insurance Fraud Bureau
Do you have information about people involved in Insurance Fraud - follow this link to report any suspicions

National Fraud Authority
Learn more about NFA plans to tackle fraud