Police bank branch response scheme prevents nearly a million pounds of fraud in West Mercia in first half of 2021

• Banking Protocol scheme alerts local police to suspected scams.
• 111 emergency calls were made in West Mercia between January and June 2021, protecting customers from losing a £880k to criminals.
• Use of the scheme has led to 5 arrests in West Mercia in the first half of this year.

Branch staff at banks, building societies and Post Offices worked with the police to stop £880k of fraud through the Banking Protocol rapid scam response in West Mercia in the first half of this year, according to the latest figures from UK Finance. In total, the scheme has prevented £174 million of fraud and led to 934 arrests since its launch in 2016.  

The Banking Protocol is a UK-wide scheme, launched by UK Finance, National Trading Standards and local police forces. Branch staff are trained to spot the warning signs that suggest a customer may be falling victim to a scam, before alerting their local police force to intervene and investigate. 

The latest figures reveal that branch staff invoked the Banking Protocol 111 times in West Mercia between January and June 2021, saving potential victims an average of £7,000 each. Real life case studies from the first half of the year are included at the bottom of this release. Ultimately the scheme led to the arrest of 5 suspected criminals in West Mercia in the first half of this year.  

The Banking Protocol was rolled out by West Mercia Police in 2017. Since March 2018, the scheme has been implemented by all 45 police forces across the UK.  

It is often used to prevent impersonation scams, in which criminals imitate police or bank staff and convince people to visit their bank and withdraw or transfer large sums of money. It is also used to prevent romance fraud, in which fraudsters use fake online dating profiles to trick victims into transferring money, and to catch rogue traders who demand cash for unnecessary work on properties.  

Customers assisted by the scheme are offered ongoing support to help prevent them from falling victim to scams in the future, including referrals to social services, expert fraud prevention advice and additional checks on future transactions.  

Katy Worobec, Managing Director of EconomicCrime, UKFinance said: “Fraud has a devastating impact on victims so partnerships like the Banking Protocol are not only crucial in helping vulnerable people, but it also stops stolen money from going on to fund other illicit activities including drug smuggling, human-trafficking and terrorism.  

“Criminals have continued to capitalise on the pandemic to commit fraud, callously targeting victims through impersonation, romance, courier and rogue trader scams. Branch staff and the police are working on the frontline to protect people from fraud and these figures highlight the importance of their work in stopping these cruel scams and bringing the criminals to justice.  

“It’s important that people always follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, and remember that a bank or the police will never ask you to transfer funds to another account or to withdraw cash to hand over to them for safe-keeping.” 

Detective Sergeant Jon Cooper from the West Mercia Police Economic Crime Unit said: “The Banking Protocol has consistently demonstrated the opportunity for success which is possible when the police and private sector partners work together to protect victims of fraud. We know that the public are more likely to be a victim of fraud than any other type of crime, so a whole system change was in order to tackle the scourge of fraud, bring perpetrators to justice and reclaim the money and assets taken for those defrauded.

“The Banking Protocol was introduced to crack down on scams in which customers are tricked into visiting their bank in person to withdraw money and hand it over to a criminal. In West Mercia we have been targeted by ‘Courier Fraud’ and under the initiative, developed in partnership between UK Finance, local police forces and National Trading Standards, bank branch staff are trained to spot the warning signs that suggest a customer may be falling victim to such a scam. The staff member can then invoke the Banking Protocol, leading the local police to send a priority response to the branch to investigate the suspected fraud and arrest any suspects still on the scene.

“The majority of victims being targeted are elderly and vulnerable people. The Banking Protocol also ensures that extra support is provided to customers identified through the scheme, to help prevent them from falling victim to similar scams in the future. This can include referrals to social services, expert fraud prevention advice and additional checks on future transactions.

“While we have made a significant impact on organised crime groups targeting our elderly relatives and friends I would encourage everyone to please be aware of the scams that can be very convincing and to please remember that the police will never contact you to discuss your money, bank accounts or ask you to withdraw money and give it to a courier.”

“To build on the success of the scheme, as of the beginning of August banks and building societies are now also working with West Mercia Police to expand the process to cover attempted bank transfers made by customers through telephone and online banking in addition to physical visits to banks and building societies to withdraw cash in person.

“I urge customers to follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, and remember a bank or the police will never ask you to transfer funds to another account or to withdraw cash to hand over to them for safe-keeping.”