Bank and police join forces to save victims over £1m from fraud

The Banking Protocol initiative, which was developed in partnership with National Trading Standards, trains bank branch staff to spot the signs of a scam and what to do when a customer is at risk.

If a staff member suspects a customer is being tricked by a fraudster – for example, if someone is making an unusually large cash withdrawal – they will speak to the potential victim and ask questions.

If their suspicions are confirmed, the staff member can then invoke the Banking Protocol and contact police, who will send a priority response to the branch and investigate the suspected fraud.

A total of seven arrests were made by Hampshire Constabulary last year through the initiative, while in total 247 emergency calls were received.

The latest figures reveal that across the country the scheme has prevented £38m of fraud and led to 231 arrests in 2018. Pensioners are the main group of people targeted.  

The Banking Protocol was rolled out by Hampshire Constabulary in June 2017. Since March 2018, the scheme has been implemented by all 45 police forces across the UK. All the main high street banks and the Post Office are now fully signed up.

Det Sgt Sarah Dring, of Hampshire Constabulary’s volume fraud investigation team, said: ‘It is very important that bank staff can recognise the signs and feel confident enough to call 999, as often the victims do not know they are being scammed.

‘All bank employees have now received fraud loss prevention training and we will continue to work with them to make sure people aren’t conned into handing over their hard-earned cash.

‘The types of fraud we see through the banking protocol range from online romance fraud to scams where people have been called by scammers impersonating police officers or council officials.’

Katy Worobec, managing director of Economic Crime, UK Finance, said: ‘Bank branch staff are on the front line in the fight against fraud, as increasingly sophisticated gangs target consumers directly and trick them into withdrawing large sums of cash.

‘This rapid response scheme is giving bank staff the tools they need to protect vulnerable customers from scams, while helping local police catch fraudsters and bring them to justice.’

Anyone who suspects they have been a victim of fraud should call 101 for advice or report direct to Action Fraud (www.actionfraud.police.uk).