Fraud-busting scheme extended by a year

Ian says money was taken from his mother's accounts over the course of a year

A scheme which has helped fraud victims recover a total of about £300,000 of 'lost' money has been extended by 12 months.

The Financial Fraud Advocates (FFA) pilot, run in the north-east of England by Safer Communities, has been operating since the beginning of 2025, and was initially due to finish at the end of the year.

Among those it has helped is a Teesside woman who had £26,000 taken from her bank accounts by a family member.

Her son described the service as "invaluable".

Ian - not his real name - told BBC Radio Tees the family felt "betrayed" when they discovered a relative had withdrawn £26,000 over the course of a year, after having stayed with them.

The fraud came to light when Ian's sister went to pay in a cheque at the bank on behalf of their mother, who has a terminal illness.

"We discovered a lot of money had gone from my mum's bank account," Ian said, adding: "Even larger amounts had been transferred out of her ISA into her bank account and then on to another account.

"It had started with relatively small amounts, but then accelerated. Sometimes a couple of thousand pounds was going within a week.

"My sister and I couldn't sleep at night. Her hair started dropping out with the stress of it. I told my dad and he started sobbing in my arms."

'Tip of the iceberg'

Without power of attorney, Ian said he had been unable to deal with the issue on his mum's behalf.

But the FFA team, based at Stockton, was able to step in and help - providing an advocate to talk to the bank.

The family member responsible for the fraud was later sentenced to a suspended jail sentence.

The FFA is funded by money recovered from criminals using the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Safer Communities says people should not feel embarrassed to report fraud

While some fraud victims do come forward, the FFA's Dave Mead described them as "the tip of an iceberg".

"This is a fairly new scheme. We've been running five months, and it's a bolt-on to the support we already provided, such as emotional help and referring people to debt counsellors.

"Bad people's money is now helping good people.

"We're at about £300,000 recovered - that's back into the pockets of people on Teesside who have been victims of romance fraud, courier fraud or rogue traders.

"It's great to see the smile on people's faces when money is returned."

Mr Mead said people who suspect they have been a victim of fraud should immediately contact their bank, followed by police.

The FFA will then contact victims having had the details passed on by officers.