Fraud is a serious crime that can have devastating consequences for victims. Fortunately, there are ways to report fraud and cybercrime to law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. In this article, we'll discuss how to report fraud and cybercrime, what happens after you report it, and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud. To report a fraud crime by phone, you can call 911 or 404-658-6666. If you have been a victim of fraud and need help, you can also call or send an email to Action Fraud.
Action Fraud is the central repository for fraud and cyber-dependent crime reports in England and Wales. All reports of incidents are sent to the National Fraud Intelligence Office (NFIB), which compares and analyzes the data and disseminates crimes that meet certain criteria to police forces for investigation. It's important to educate yourself about online and offline dangers and learn how to report abductions and sexual exploitation of children. You can also help protect your family and community by reporting suspicious activities and helping to find wanted fugitives and missing children.
Visit the website of the charity Fraud Advisory Panel and complete its interactive decision tree, which will help you better understand civil and criminal justice pathways. The magnitude and complexity of fraud traps mean that many victims wonder if there is any value in reporting them to the police. The vast majority of frauds reported to the police through Action Fraud are not assigned to a police force for further investigation and remain in the NFIB's “Know Fraud” database for intelligence purposes. However, if the circumstances of the victim's complaint constitute a crime defined by law (the police will determine this based on their knowledge of the law and the counting rules), then it may be assigned for further investigation. If you are a victim of disaster-related fraud, you can contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud at (86) 720-5721, by fax at (22) 334-4707, or file a complaint through the NCDF's web complaint form. Finally, it's important to take some basic steps to protect yourself from becoming a victim of crime and fraud.
This is especially true in the case of investment fraud, such as boiler room fraud (pressure selling of worthless stock), Ponzi schemes, and dating scams.
