Abbreviation NFIB Parent organisation City of London Police | Formation 2006 Website NFIB | |
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Purpose Intelligence gathering and analysis to combat fraud | ||
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau is a police unit in the United Kingdom responsible for gathering and analysing intelligence relating to fraud and financially-motivated cyber crime. The NFIB was created as part of the recommendations of the 2006 National Fraud Review, which also saw the formation of the National Fraud Authority. The NFIB was developed and is overseen by the City of London Police as part of its role as a national lead for economic crime investigation, and is funded by the Home Office.
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Overview
The NFIB analyses information from a large number of organisations within the public and private sectors, including industry, commerce and government sources. Analysts from both law enforcement and private sector backgrounds analyse the raw intelligence for distinct patterns of fraudulent activity and behaviour. When patterns are spotted, such as an identifying a persistent offender or linked activities, intelligence reports are sent to relevant police or law enforcement organisations for investigation, which may involve enquiries throughout the UK and overseas. The public, as well as businesses and the police can report fraud to the NFIB using the national fraud reporting service, called Action Fraud.
Action Fraud
Action Fraud is the UK's national reporting service for fraud and financially-motivated cyber crime. It was transferred to the City of London Police after the National Fraud Authority was closed in March 2014. Action Fraud has a website and call centre which provide information about different types of fraud and offer prevention advice. Individuals and businesses can report fraud (such as forwarding scam emails for inspection) to Action Fraud on their website or by telephone. When a fraud is reported to Action Fraud, victims are given a crime reference number and their case is passed on to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. As of December 2015, there were 70 call-handling staff working on the Action Fraud helpline, employed by a private company.