The fight against tax crime and money laundering March 31, 2020 | Sponsored There is no such thing as a victimless crime. The devastation financial crime causes is real and often affects some of our country’s poorest and most vulnerable communities. Tax crime costs the UK economy tens of billions of pounds every year. In order to prevent this, HMRC works closely with UK law enforcement agencies and [...]
Simple advice on avoiding financial scams March 31, 2020 | Sponsored With the consequences of a scam often going well beyond pure financial losses, it is essential that every colleague in your business knows how to spot the signs. Businesses have always been highly attractive targets for fraudsters. Why? Money and data – both the company’s and that of their customers and supply chain partners. That [...]
Criminals exploit technology so why can’t law enforcement? March 31, 2020 | Sponsored According to Helena Wood at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the UK has been “sleepwalking” through the growth of economic crime, to a point where it is a systemic national security risk. But there is technology to take the fight to criminals. Fraud accounts for one in three of all allegations of crime and [...]
Criminals arrested in crackdown on courier fraud March 31, 2020 | Sponsored A national police operation targeting criminals who commit courier fraud has resulted in over 40 arrests. Police coordinator for economic crime warns women over 80 are most likely to fall victim. Police forces across the country have been cracking down on criminals who commit courier fraud, with a combination of awareness raising and enforcement activity [...]
Fraudsters will “exploit any weakness” to commit financial crime March 31, 2020 | Sponsored Scammers will use every opportunity to commit insurance fraud, from taking advantage of the panic around COVID-19 to exploiting opportunities presented by digital technologies. In times of crisis, there’s usually an upturn in fraud and financial crime. That’s just a historical fact. It happened in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash, and Chris Andrew [...]
Do you know the many forms of money laundering? March 31, 2020 | Sponsored In financial circles there is much discussion around money laundering, but the forms which money laundering can take are very rarely explained. So, what is money laundering? It’s the process of making illegally gained money, often known as dirty money, appear to be legal. Money laundering usually involves three steps; surreptitiously getting the illegitimate money [...]
Tax needs to keep pace with global developments March 30, 2020 | Sponsored Designing a modern-day tax system takes co-ordination on a global scale, with many players all having a part. The business of tax faces challenges in the 21st century: its role as a force for good, and the way tax systems are designed and implemented Adapt to survive In a fast-changing world, tax systems have to [...]
Investors flee UK funds for cash with bond funds the worst hit March 26, 2020 Record amounts have flowed out of UK funds this month with bond funds hit the hardest as investors flocked towards cash. As the coronavirus crisis deepens and fears of a recession mount, UK funds have shed £4.4bn in the month to date, according to figures from global funds network Calastone. This week there was a [...]
Time for a staycation? Mortgage payment holidays explained March 26, 2020 As part of its plan to reduce the economic damage done by staying at home during the coronavirus outbreak, the government has granted a holiday on what is many people’s biggest outlay: mortgage payments. For three months, those who are paying off their mortgage will get a temporary break from their monthly payments, one of [...]
What’s happening to the AUD/GBP exchange rate? March 25, 2020 | City Talk A quick look at the performance of the Australian dollar in the FX market during the global pandemic The Australian dollar has been under pressure all year; as a commodity-based currency, it was among the first to struggle due to the impact of the coronavirus. Now, as the countries implement various forms of lock-down and [...]