Fraud and Cybercrime

We are hearing daily of individuals going above and beyond to raise funds for charities supporting the most in need. Who of us will ever forget the amazing Captain Tom Moore who in his 100th year would not be bowed by the current situation? Sadly, for everyone one of these amazing individuals there are those who would take advantage of the current situation.

We would all agree that working from home arrangements, redeployment or furloughing of staff, etc has increased the risk of systems and procedures to prevent frauds and cyber scams potentially not operating as effectively as they would under normal circumstances.

Common types of fraud to be vigilant for are:

• Procurement fraud – paid for goods that are either not delivered or not of the proper standard
• Mandate / Chief Executive frauds – changes to bank details so payments are moved to accounts under fraudsters control
• Phishing emails – emails containing links or attachments; or asking for personal or financial details
• Advance fee frauds – beware of making payments in advance to new suppliers
• Device attacks – ensure staff are installing the latest updates for devices and whether there is any additional risk due to working from home arrangements

Remember if you are a victim of fraud to report it promptly to Action Fraud or The Charity Commission.