Police save £315m through fraud prevention

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A specialist police squad that tackles financial fraud has saved over £315 million in losses and recovered 335,000 cards and card numbers.

The Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit DCPCU has recovered 45,000 compromised cards and 290,000 card details since it was created in 2002.

Detective chief inspector John Folan, head of the DCPCU and a serving police officer, said: "Our work continues to seriously disrupt the organised gangs responsible for this type of crime and, when coupled with fraud prevention savings in excess of £315 million, it is clear that the DCPCU has become a powerful asset in the fight against fraud."

The DCPCU was originally set up as a two-year pilot and comprises officers from the Metropolitan and City of London police forces, along with banking industry fraud investigators. It was established as a permanent unit after a successful trial period.

Yesterday, figures from Cifas revealed that identity theft has shot up by 40 per cent in the first three months of 2009, fuelled by the worsening recession.

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2009-04-29 12:28:30 © Moneyextra.com