£5.5m fraud prevented by Police Scotland and banking sector
Under the bank protocol, staff are trained to spot when a customer is about to fall victim to a scam, often when they ask to withdraw an unusually large sum of money
Almost £5.5 million of fraud has been prevented as a result of a scheme set up between Police Scotland and the banking sector. A total of 19 arrests were made and £5,490,397 of fraud was prevented in 2018 through the Banking Protocol, which is aimed at identifying and protecting potential fraud victims.
Under the protocol, bank staff are trained to spot when a customer is about to fall victim to a scam, often when they ask to withdraw an unusually large sum of money.
The staff member contacts police and officers attend the branch, with a guaranteed priority response.
Figures for the rapid response scheme show that in 2018, 815 emergency calls were logged by bank staff and responded to by Police Scotland officers.
Most of the potential victims are aged 65 or over and scams can involve online fraud, romance fraud and rogue traders.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson, Police Scotland’s lead on specialist crime and intelligence, said: “The Banking Protocol has generated real tangible benefits to assist the most vulnerable members of our communities.
“Through the commendable efforts by the banks involved in the Protocol and the actions of the police officers responding, we have ensured that banking customers in Scotland have been protected from nearly £5.5 million of fraud in 2018.
“Police Scotland continues to invest in the Banking Protocol and will keep working with the financial sector to keep people safe from financial crime.”
The Banking Protocol has been developed as a partnership between the finance industry, police and Trading Standards.
If staff suspect the customer is potentially going to be a victim of fraud, they call 999 and there will be an immediate priority response to the branch by police.
The system means a priority response is guaranteed. This prevents the individual becoming a victim, potentially facilitates the arrest of a fraudster and ensures the customer receives prevention advice to reduce their risk of becoming a victim in the future.