The number of online fraud cases has rocketed, leaving officers reliant on a computer programme to decide if cases ‘are worth’ following up. In 2015 there have been 3.2 million fraud cases, but these have resulted in fewer than 9,000 convictions.
Action Fraud’s website warns those reporting a crime that they will only be contacted again by police and other law enforcement agencies ‘in some cases’, and that ‘the police cannot investigate every report individually’.
According to the Times, more than 230,000 criminal reports were submitted in 2014, but only around a quarter of these were handed to police. The rest were dismissed by the computer algorithm.
Figures released by City of London Police revealed that around 85% of fraud and cybercrime goes unreported because many crimes are not reported to police by banks. In 2013-14 Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau recorded 211,000 crimes in England and Wales with a reported loss of GBP 2.2 billion.
However, City of London Police estimated that a further 1,160,500 crimes, with a loss worth GBP 12.1billion have gone unreported. And it has been estimated that around 70% of all frauds are carried out online, with many criminals based overseas - making it difficult for police in the UK to pursue a case.
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