North Yorkshire Police and bank staff stop fraudsters pocketing £300,000

According to new figures, £299,000 of fraud was stopped by the county's police and bank branch staff in the first half of 2020 through the Banking Protocol.

The UK-wide scheme enables bank branch staff to alert their local police force when they suspect a customer is being scammed.

Police then visit the branch to investigate the suspected fraud and arrest any suspects still on the scene.

Branch staff are trained to spot the warning signs that suggest someone may have fallen for one of these scams and make an emergency call to the police.

In the first six months of this year, 48 calls were made to North Yorkshire Police and 27 crimes were reported.

A range of scams that trick victims into withdrawing cash from their branch have been prevented thanks to the scheme including courier scams, romance fraud and rogue traders.

National data shows that victims helped through the Banking Protocol are typically aged over 65, while some were over 100.

Those helped by the scheme are offered ongoing support to prevent them falling victim to scams in future.

North Yorkshire Police Det Insp Jon Hodgeon, who leads the force’s Economic Crime unit, said: "The Banking Protocol has been impactful in not only helping to prevent substantial amounts of money being lost to fraudsters but perhaps more importantly in identifying individuals who need support from their local police.

"Local banks are a cornerstone of our communities in North Yorkshire and they are a key partner in protecting vulnerable victims of fraud.

"The response from North Yorkshire branches has been fantastic and I would like to thank them for supporting the Banking Protocol initiative.

"Fraud is one of the most underreported crimes in the UK, with a number of barriers that stop victims getting in touch with the police.

"However, if we are alerted under the Banking Protocol we have an opportunity to speak to those who are being targeted by fraudsters, do everything we can to prevent their money being taken and ultimately safeguard them from becoming a victim again in the future.”

In 2019, North Yorkshire Police was able to prevent £1,150,027 from being lost to fraudsters through the Banking Protocol, with 76 crimes recorded and four arrests made.

Katy Worobec, Managing Director of Economic Crime, UK Finance, said: “It is sickening that criminals are preying on elderly and vulnerable victims during this difficult time.

"Bank branch staff and police on the frontline are doing a heroic job in stopping these cruel scams and helping bring those responsible to justice.

“It’s vital that people always follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, and remember that a bank or the police will never ask you to transfer funds to another account or to withdraw cash to hand over to them for safe-keeping.”

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