In 2024, more than £2m in fraud was prevented due to an agreement between police and financial institutions, calling the ‘Banking Protocol’. This protocol adds an extra level of safeguarding to help prevent people, especially those with vulnerabilities, from being scammed, with banks contacting police when requests are made to withdraw large sums of cash from accounts. 

There are many types of fraud, including courier fraud, dating fraud, and rogue trading, to name a few. It is likely that new types of fraud will emerge, especially as more fraudsters seek to exploit artificial intelligence and new technologies. For instance, recent scams where AI has been used include those ‘catfishing’ victims on dating websites before proceeding to carry out a romance scam. 

In total, across Hertfordshire, there were 5,278 allegations of fraud made to Action Fraud in 2024 (down from 5,705 in 2023), but losses increased from £31m to £34m. There were also 774 allegations of cybercrime in 2024 (up from 374 in 2023). It is important to keep up to date with the latest scams and prevention advice to best protect yourself and your loved ones. 

For crime prevention advice and support, visit: Action Fraud. In the meantime, here are 10 tips to help avoid being scammed:

If you suspect that the fraudsters are still in the area (for example, a rogue trader targeting vulnerable people), please report to the Police by calling 101 or 999 accordingly.