In the face of a burgeoning global fraud epidemic, the financial world is grappling with an ever-escalating threat that undermines the very fabric of our economies and societies.
Resistant AI, which helps to enhance automated financial risk and compliance systems across the customer journey, has released a new whitepaper in partnership with Fintrail. The whitepaper, ‘Unmasking Fraud: Dynamic Controls for an Ever-Changing Threat Landscape’, explores why tackling fraud necessitates a layered defence and an easy way for firms to spot weaknesses.
In the whitepaper, Resistant AI examines various fraud profiles and how firms can tackle them. It also calls upon examples and case studies to show why layered controls and holistic approaches can improve the fight on fraud.
Over £1.2bn pilfered by malefactors in the UK alone during 2022, translating to a staggering £2,300 vanishing every minute, the urgency for robust countermeasures has never been more pronounced, it states. England and Wales witnessed fraud ascend to the ignominious rank of the most prevalent crime, marking a period fraught with over 3.5 million incidents. The stark underreporting of fraud, speculated at a mere one in seven incidents, underscores the enormity of this concealed iceberg, prompting calls for its reclassification as a national security concern within the UK.
Amidst this backdrop, financial institutions are under mounting pressure from regulatory bodies and government mandates to intensify their fraud prevention efforts. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been vocal about the necessity for firms to enhance their detection and management strategies to curb fraud and related losses more efficaciously. Although strides have been made, with advanced controls thwarting the theft of £651m in the first half of 2023, the consensus remains that the fight against fraud requires a fortified, multi-faceted approach, blending detection, prevention, and redress, all rooted in a granular understanding of potential fraud vectors.
The political resolve to combat fraud has crystallised in the UK, exemplified by the government’s ambitious Fraud Strategy unveiled in June 2023. This strategy, underscored by an additional £100m funding infusion to law enforcement, sets forth a goal to reduce fraud incidents by 10%, signalling a pivot towards proactive and preventive measures, it said. Moreover, the regulatory landscape is poised for significant changes, with the Payments Service Regulator (PSR) instituting new mandates for fraud victim reimbursement, effective from October 2024, and Europe’s revised PSD3 framework aiming to bolster collective anti-fraud efforts.
Crucial to recognising the complexity of this challenge is the acknowledgment that the fight against fraud cannot be won in isolation. The financial sector’s endeavours, though significant, necessitate a concerted, ecosystem-wide response that includes social media and telecom industries. Ofcom’s findings that nine in ten online users have encountered suspected scam activities, with a quarter succumbing to these schemes, underscore the pervasive risk. Legislative initiatives like the Online Safety Act and the Online Fraud Charter, with commitments from tech giants such as Amazon, TikTok, and Instagram, represent crucial steps towards mitigating the spread of fraudulent content and safeguarding users.
As firms try to navigate through these tumultuous waters, Resistant AI pointed to the adage ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ finds a new resonance in the context of fraud prevention—underscoring the imperative for a unified, cross-sectoral crusade against the fraudsters. The journey towards a fraud-resistant financial ecosystem is arduous and fraught with challenges, yet through collaborative endeavour and the strategic layering of defences, we can aspire to a future where the financial integrity and security of consumers and businesses alike are safeguarded.
For a detailed account on how to identify fraud vulnerabilities and implement a multi-layered defense strategy, read the full whitepaper here.
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