Let's talk about fraud

Every day, all over the world people like you, me, our friends, colleagues and family are tricked out of money and assets. Or into "sharing" intimate details and images that can be used for blackmail.

Fraudsters win because they are predators and people like, you, me and the others are prey. Some fraudsters spend a lot of time and effort creating a scheme and others are simple opportunists.

It's easy to understand what fraud is: it's when one person tells a lie intending to gain something from someone else relying on it.

Everything else, no matter what names some people give to different frauds comes from that basic principle.

The lies are often dressed up in other lies, obscuring the one that is the eventual trick.

Fraud is a global pandemic, powered by the cheapness and speed of the internet. Some are committed using the technology that the internet makes available and, of course, there are technologies described as "Artificial Intelligence" (" a term that is, itself, not true - machines are not and cannot ever be "intelligent" but, importantly, they can be programmed to fake it). But technology is only an enabler - behind every fraud is a person.

Romance fraud, investment fraud, "official" fraud and many more all rely on one person believing someone else's lies.

This book was first published in paperback as "Safe word: No" and for this downloadable edition, we've called it "Let's Talk About Fraud" because that's what the book is for.

It's designed to create discussions around how fraud happens, how victims can identify a fraud early enough to say "No".

It's not a technical book but there are technical subjects and that's why talking is so important. The elderly and the young are favourite targets and so engaging them in conversion increases their awareness - and their chances of avoiding being defrauded

Fraud is about much more than simply taking someone's money: it takes their dignity and sense of self-worth. And for many children and young people, the fraud turns their lives inside out as their online friend is really a pervert or worse.

You can reinforce the message with a mug, t-shirt and posters showing inspirational messages and warnings.

See https://projectlxx.com/drupal/web/fraud_awareness/every_fraud_hello.

Nigel Morris-Cotterill is a former lawyer who has spent more than 35 years developing financial crime risk strategies for businesses across many sectors and in training people in business on financial crime topics. In this book, he turns his attention to readers can help vulnerable people by talking to them about fraud risk because the best defence is to prevent it in the first place.

Nigel Morris-Cotterill is at www.countermoneylaundering.com

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