Recent reports that there were an estimated 3.6 million cases of fraud and two million computer misuse offences shows how difficult staying on top of this major problem has become here in the UK.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales released a few weeks ago included the offences for the first time in its annual report, which covered the year to September 2016.
Whilst the birth of the internet has brought us all many great benefits, it is a sad fact that criminals are always looking for opportunities and this modern technological era has certainly provided rich pickings for them.
It used to be that burglary and theft of vehicles were the high-volume crimes affecting most of us, but we have seen a huge shift.
Many frauds go undetected and whilst businesses invest in new systems to try to stop the unscrupulous fraudsters, it seems they are intent on staying one step ahead.
The legal world is increasingly in need of expertise to stay on top of this very 21st century crime, so that is why we at Altior have teamed up with Mishcon de Reya to deliver the ACFE (The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners) intensive four day course, which will help to arm many legal practitioners with the knowledge to help them combat this growing issue.
The fact is that fraud is on the increase everywhere in our ever more global economy. For instance, a recent report from PWC showed half of respondents having experienced economic crime, and alarmingly around a third of crime had been carried out by company’s employees.
The face of crime is far less visible than it used to be, but in the business world we really do need to get up to speed, hence why this course taking place in June is a must for those wishing to guard their companies against this problem.
Becoming accredited by the ACFE is a wise step to help many professionals get ahead in this growing arena of intelligence.
Our extensive course costs £2,200 and subjects taught will include fraud investigation techniques, the law relating to fraud and fraud prevention and deterrence.
In the past two years, here in the UK, ACFE have accredited around 100 delegates, but with the ever changing landscape of fraud crime, the feeling is that this is still too few.
Altior and Mishcon are doing our utmost to ensure we deliver a course that makes tackling such a huge subject as easy as possible.
We have reduced the course notes by over two thirds and there is something to be said for the synergy of a classroom situation, where many professionals are working and learning together to become Certified Fraud Examiner’s.
Direct tuition, networking with like-minded individuals and being in a fully focused class is far and away the most sensible option when learning a skill.
We need as much know-how as possible to ensure we have the levels of intelligence needed to keep all of us safe from this often, invisible crime and enable businesses to remain vigilant.