Post Magazine - NU reveals new fraud figures

Post Magazine - NU reveals new fraud figures: "New calculations reveal that fraud now costs the UK �16bn a year but Britons are still in the dark about the real cost of fraud and its true impact on society.
Research by Norwich Union shows that the cost of fraudulent crime to the UK has increased by 15% in the last five years and the insurer predicts this will escalate significantly in the next five.
The insurer adds that insurance fraud costs the industry over �1.5bn a year. Chris Hill, NU�s head of fraud, said, 'Many people believe that fraud is a victimless crime but an increasing number of fraud scams are placing the public at risk. From staged car-crashes with innocent drivers to the deliberate torching of businesses and homes, innocent lives are put in danger every day because of fraud.
�Norwich Union has detected more than 300 such frauds in the last 12 months but we suspect this is just the tip of the iceberg.
'As long as fraud is perceived as an 'easy crime', we will consistently see organised gangs of criminal fraudsters escaping prosecution and coming back for a second or third go. We need a moral change in national perception; fraud must become as unacceptable as any other form of serious crime in the eyes of the public.'
He continued: 'The proceeds of fraud are directly funding crime on the streets but there is an absence of a cohesive National Fraud Strategy to tackle this. To turn this around, the public and private sectors need to actively collaborate together with Government and law enforcement bodies.' "