Fraud Alert

Sterling is the Metropolitan Police initiative to tackle economic crime throughout London.

By working together with individuals and organisations, from all levels of the private and public sectors, Sterling aims to make London safer from all types of economic crime. Innovative new techniques are being developed to prevent, disrupt, and prosecute fraud related offences.

Please see our latest report for a full introduction:

• Sterling - Economic crime strategy for London - [ Adobe PDF - 3.9MB]

These pages have been set up by the Sterling Prevention Team as a resource to assist in combating specific types of fraud and other economic crime, and to prevent you becoming a victim of crime.

• Personal Fraud Prevention Advice Document - [ Adobe PDF - 151KB]

Sterling has established a number of fraud prevention forums in different business sectors. These provide advice to individuals and share good practice to reduce fraud and other economic crime. A list of the forums is shown on the useful links page.

News

• High yield investment advice - 30.03.10
• Internet fraudsters 'adopt' MPS logo and Operation Sterling page header - 11.01.10
• Students advised not to pay for accommodation up front - 07.09.09

Economic crime prevention advice

• Advance Fees Fraud – Paying money for a promise of wealth (419 Fraud)
• Cash Machines - ATM (Automated Teller Machine) Card Fraud
• Criminal Cash-Back, Cheque/Draft Overpayments, Shipping and ESCROW frauds
• Company Fraud and Company Identity/Impersonation Fraud
• Employee and Internal Staff Fraud
• House and Property purchase and take-over fraud
• High Yield Investments, Share and other Investment Frauds
• Identity Fraud - Is someone using your identity?
• Internet, Advertising, Auction and On Line Fraud
• Lotteries - prizes winners and unsolicited awards
• Money laundering and asset seizure
• Money Transfer – Advice when sending money to somebody you don’t know
• Personal Fraud Prevention Advice.
• Unwanted and Unsolicited Mail, Marketing and Telephone Calls.
• Vehicle buying and selling advice
• Vulnerable people, the elderly, infirm and the Mental Capacity Act.
• Working from home scams/financial intermediaries – Money Mules

Reporting Fraud, Bank & Card Fraud, Scams, eMails and Web Sites.

In an emergency you should phone 999. You should use this service to contact police in situations when you need an immediate response - if a crime is happening now or if anyone is in immediate danger.

If as a result of one of these frauds or any other type of fraud, you have become a victim of crime, you will need to contact your local police to report the allegation.

If you are resident outside the London area the following link will provide you with details of your local force website from which you can obtain contact details of your local police.

If you are an investigator and think that we may be able to help you, please contact the SCD6 Economic and Specialist Crime OCU via normal police channels.

Please send all banking related phishing emails to reports@banksafeonline.org.uk. Queries related to Paypal or Ebay should be sent to spoof@paypal.co.uk and spoof@ebay.co.uk respectively.