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West Midlands businesses work with police to combat fraud
15 February 2012
BUSINESSES from across the West Midlands will meet to discuss how to prevent themselves from becoming victims of fraud at a regional conference today.
West Midlands Police Economic Crime Unit invited businesses from various industries to come together at the force's training centre, Tally Ho, to discuss what to look out for to prevent themselves from becoming victims of crime.
The event marks the launch of the 'Keeping your Business in Business' booklet, which features advice on identifying fraudulent activity.
Detective Inspector Neil Postins, from the force Economic Crime Unit, said: "Every year we see the cost of fraud spiralling to around £20billion nationwide.
"In can bring businesses and livelihoods to their knees and have a significant impact on the economy.
"Over just the past five months we have seen 675 instances of fraud being reported to West Midlands Police.
These can range from fairly small operations with minimal cost to organisations, through to very large scale organised offences.
"Fraud is seen as a source of funds for other types of crime and we are keen for business of all types and sizes to get smarter at identifying fraudulent activity when it comes their way, to prevent them from becoming victims of crime."
Over 80 delegates will attend the event, which is a clear indicator of how seriously industry takes the issue.
DI Postins added: "The whole point of the event is to arm business leaders with the knowledge of how to spot someone who is approaching them with criminal intent, and what to do about it.
"We hope that the day will prove productive, and if just one of those attending is stopped from falling victim to fraudsters then it will have been worthwhile."
View all the latest crime prevention advice, and a new leaflet for businesses on how to combat fraud, by clicking here.
