Insight from the UK fraud ring where fraudsters freely sell stolen bank details on a social media messaging platform highlights the fruitless efforts of police investigations and criminal prosecution to recover defrauded funds. Article extracted from The Times, Emma Yeomans and Matilda Davies May 24 2023. To read the full article, click here.
This week, an undercover reporter from The Times successfully infiltrated “dozens of groups” where fraud victims’ stolen bank details are freely advertised on encrypted social media messaging platforms. Such scams are an epidemic due to poor law enforcement outcomes. Some fraudsters boast they’re able to sell than 500 stolen cards per week and that police do nothing to stop them because “if people got caught, then I would be in prison”. Others profit off selling tutorials to new recruits, teaching the next generation of fraudsters the skills needed to convincingly defraud unsuspecting victims. Some victims have lost their life savings and yet criminals face negligible consequences from the authorities, who can neither recover the significant amounts stolen, or reimburse compensation.
Unfortunately, the UK’s situation draws remarkable parallels with Australia. The growing number of victims of fraud and scams cannot be wrangled by police alone due to a variety of law enforcement inadequacies. In particular, the rise of digital technology and encrypted online platforms present overwhelming challenges to law enforcement due to the sheer volume of crimes and sophisticated techniques used by fraudsters, such as the elusive cryptocurrency payment methods.
The investigation and prosecution of these crimes are slow and have low success rate. It is also not the job of law enforcement to recover funds defrauded. In comparison, the alternative civil route is a more pragmatic approach, because through civil litigation, victims may be able to recover their financial losses and receive compensation for damages.
In this regard, Duxton Hill offers unparalleled expertise and experience in resolving complex civil fraud cases as we are the only firm in Australia that provides dual investigation and legal services for clients to recover financial losses or obtain compensation.
If you require the assistance of any of our team, please do not hesitate to contact Duxton Hill on 03 8676 7929 or at admin@duxtonhill.com.au.
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