Prosecution rates barely scratch the surface…

Victims of fraud are being failed by the criminal justice system, charities are warning, as new analysis suggests only a fraction of reports result in a prosecution.

There were 1.2 million recorded cases of fraud in England and Wales in the 12 months to June, data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, external shows.

But in the same time frame fewer than 13,000 cases were prosecuted, Ministry of Justice figures, external show.

Wayne Stevens, the national lead for fraud at charity Victim Support, said: “Our experience is that victims get a pretty poor deal from the criminal justice system as a whole.” The Home Office said it would publish “an ambitious fraud strategy in the New Year.”

The true scale of fraud could be much larger. There were 4.1 million estimated instances of fraud in the 12 months to June this year, according the Office for National Statistics’ Crime Survey for England and Wales, external, which can include crimes that were not reported to the police.