NWFF is pleased to refer to a number of reputable anti-fraud institutions and agencies, either on this website or elsewhere, but is not under any circumstances to be regarded as their agent, nor do their views necessarily represent those of NWFF

Employers - Passport Alert

Please study the contents of the attached website - these FRAUDULENT passports are currently being used for employment in the UK and a recent police operation has resulted in a number of arrests and leading to the recovery of a quantity of these passports that look official. Some people in possession of these may claim it is a Sierra Leon passport, it is NOT, the acceptance of this false document to give employment poses a high level risk due to current terrorism and economic crime threats.

Please warn front end staff of this to alert them.

Long Firm Fraud

Long firm fraud is where trading companies are set up with the intention of purchasing goods either for re-sale or distribution, these goods will never be paid for. The companies have no real assets, employ staff and usually trade from premises that have been obtained on a short term lease.

The company will usually trade for no more than a six month period and during that time will buy goods on credit which can be disposed of easily.

In order to obtain these goods, credit accounts are opened using references from legitimate companies who have not yet realised that they are themselves going to become a victim and from associates of the criminals who have set up similar companies in other parts of the country. This type of fraud can hit most businesses if they do not have necessary fraud checks in place.

The effects of a Long Firm Fraud were highlighted by a leading insurance company in a case study. In August 2002 a leather goods company sold two consignments of goods to a UK registered company trading from premises in Scotland. It is thought that the fraudsters obtained the supplier's details from a brochure obtained at a trade fair. Following the opening of an account an order for goods totalling £9,000 was dispatched, however no payment was received for the goods. Following a raid of the company premises by the Police, it was discoverd that the company had disappeared leaving behind a small amount of stock. The resulting financial loss led the supplier to experience cash flow problems with staff wages not being paid and the company loans going into default.

In the words of the Company Director "It felt like I was living in a house of cards that was slowly collapsing piece by piece and I could do nothing. Our business was facing closure and with it the ruin of all our hopes and efforts, but more than anything, the frustration that the fraudsters could act with such inpunity and get away with it, coupled with the shame of owing so much money to so many people, was simply overwhelming."

Learn how to avoid becoming a victim of Long Firm Fraud by attending our next Masterclass on 15 July 2008 in Manchester, details of which, can be found on our 'Events' page.

Phishing

The threat of Phishing, particularly committed on the World Wide Web has increased dramatically in recent years.

• Criminals typically send out fake emails, which appear convincing, as they often replicate the look and use the same terminology as a business would use.
• Recipients are chosen at random from addresses gathered from the web, or from customer databases, which have been hijacked.

The emails tend to follow a style and the following characteristics are usually present:

• Invite recipients’ participation in lotteries, competitions and other “lucrative” schemes”.
• Usually seek a quick response, and seek your personal details, including bank account information, and PINs/passwords, etc.
• The grammar and spelling used tends to be poor.
• If you respond it is likely that your details will be passed to a relay website controlled by criminals, who harvest the information they receive, ready to commit fraud.
• The criminals may act in isolation or be part of an organised ring, working in different global locations.
• Phishing attacks can also attack the functionality of customer PC’s and cause general security and virus problems.

Phishing can technically be extended to unsolicited telephone calls and fax instructions received from unknown third parties who convince customers that they represent their Bank or other financial advisor(s) - more information.