Coventry emerges as fraud hotspot
COVENTRY has emerged as one of the UK’s fraud hotspots, according to latest figures.
Figures from CIFAS – the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service show that while fraud remains at its most concentrated within the boroughs of Greater London, the provinces are also being targeted.
During the first half of the year fraud levels were found to be high in the postal districts around Slough, Luton, St Albans, Leicester and Coventry, more so than larger urban centres such as Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow.
CIFAS Communications Manager, Richard Hurley said that with the highest population levels of the UK, it was unsurprising that London had the highest number of confirmed frauds in the first six months of the year.
“That fraud is at its most prevalent in London is not surprising. This has been the case for many years. A larger population means more individuals who may consider making fraudulent applications, but it also means that there are more potential victims for an organised identity criminal,” he said.
He added outside the postal areas falling within the Greater London boroughs, there were some notable clusters of activity – and these are not to be found in other large centres of population.
The SL1 and LU1 postal areas (Slough and Luton) are the areas with the highest levels of fraud, while the Coventry and Leicester postcode areas both feature more than once in the top ten areas outside London (four times and twice respectively).
“What these figures prove is that fraud will take place anywhere. While Coventry and Leicester are populous cities, it is surprising to see these areas identified as having higher levels of fraud than other, much larger, cities,” added Hurley.
“This demonstrates that fraud is no longer a crime that can simply be thought of as occurring in the largest cities. But it also presents a challenge to individuals and organisations based in these areas. It is vital that both work together with a view to diminishing the risks, not least to ensure that individuals understand what precisely constitutes fraud.”
He said it was important that individuals and organisations share the responsibility of ensuring that personal data is protected from identity fraudsters who might be targeting these areas.
