Today, the government announced its new plan to tackle fraud. The plan recognises the threat fraud poses to society, accounting for over 40% of all offences in England and Wales and affecting 1 in 15 people in the last year alone.

The government’s strategy sets out to prevent fraud, improve justice outcomes for those who do experience it and empower people to recognise and report fraud when they see it.

Responding to the plan, Wayne Stevens, National Fraud Lead at the charity Victim Support said:

“Fraud has reached epidemic levels. Over the past five years the number of fraud victims we have supported has more than doubled, including many whose lives have been turned upside down. It’s encouraging to see the government’s commitment to reducing fraud – the pledge to reimburse all victims is something we have long been calling for and will make a real difference to those affected.

However, we would like to see the government be more ambitious. The aim of reducing fraud by ten percent only scratches the surface, and there is a glaring lack of funding to support those who do fall victim. Thousands more people will need ongoing support over weeks and sometimes months, as they come to terms with the impacts of losing life changing sums of money.”