POLICE have given their support to a banking scheme which has so fair helped to stop more than £1 million worth of fraud West Yorkshire.

The Banking Protocol, supported by trade association UK Finance, has led to 227 arrests and prevented £27 million of attempted fraud nationally. 

It enables bank staff to identify possible fraudulent activity and then alert police. Fraudsters often prey on vulnerable people, attempting to trick them into visiting their bank to withdraw money for a bogus reason.

The fraudsters will often pretend to be a person in a trusted position, such as a police officer or bank employee, but by spotting the potentially illegal activity bank employees through the Banking Protocol are helping to stop frauds before they happen.

In West Yorkshire, there have been more than 200 calls from banks to the police reporting potentially suspicious activity. As a result, 62 victims have been safeguarded, 80 crimes recorded and £1,250,213 worth of fraud prevented.

Ramona Senior, head of economic crime for West Yorkshire Police, said: “So-called Courier fraud – where someone pretends to work in a trusted position and then attempts to trick often vulnerable people into parting with large sums of money is something we are seeing more and more of across the country and in West Yorkshire.

“The fraudsters can be quite convincing – they will tell the victim that there is a problem for example with their bank account and that they need to withdraw or move their money to a different ‘safe’ account.

“They will then tell the victim to go to their bank to withdraw the money and send someone round to collect the money – a courier.

“But by alerting police to suspicious activity in the first place we can help to stop the crime from happening.

“The banking protocol is an excellent example of partnership working and is making a real difference both her in West Yorkshire and nationally. It is helping to directly prevent fraud.

“Knowing how to spot the signs of this type of crime is the best way to defeat the criminals.

“I would urge people who know potentially vulnerable people to ensure they know the risks and to pass on some simple advice.

“Organisations such as the police and banks will never ask you to give your account details, pin or security code over the phone and will never ask you to hand over cash.

“If you or someone you know receives a call from someone asking for this information and other details such as passwords then do not give it. End the call immediately and wait five minutes to make sure the caller has cleared the line or use a different phone to report the matter to the police."

Katy Worobec, managing director of economic crime at UK Finance, added: “Fraud can have a devastating impact on victims and is often targeted at the most vulnerable people in society, which is why we must work together to prevent it.

“The Banking Protocol shows how close cooperation between the industry and law enforcement can help to protect victims and crack down on fraudsters.

“This kind of joined-up approach is crucial to stay one step ahead and ensure that unscrupulous scammers preying on customers are brought to justice.”

If you are concerned about a call you have received, call police on 101 or Action Fraud on 0300 1232040 or visit actionfraud.police.uk