MORE than £300,000 of fraudulent transactions in North Yorkshire have been prevented thanks to a scam response scheme.

Branch staff at banks, building societies and Post Offices worked with the police to stop £362,000 of fraud through the Banking Protocol rapid scam response in the county in the first half of this year.

Read more: Armed police called to Stockton after reports of a man with a machete

This is according to the latest figures from UK Finance which also reveal that, 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.

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.

North Yorkshire Police Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer, Andy Fox, said: “The Banking Protocol is a highly effective tool in our fight against fraudsters who are relentless in targeting victims across North Yorkshire.

"Not only does it prevent the loss of money as seen in the huge amounts saved, it also enables us to offer fraud victims safeguarding support and advice, hopefully meaning they won’t fall victim to these scams again in future.”

Read more: Why around 80 passengers had to travel from Leeds to Teesside Airport last night

Katy Worobec, managing director of Economic Crime, UK Finance, added: “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." 

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated North Yorkshire Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054