A survey by UKFraud.co.uk www.ukfraud.co.uk of anti-fraud specialists in the banking, insurance, retail, IT and public sectors has questioned the impact of the government funded National Fraud Authority (NFA) to date and highlighted key areas where survey respondents felt it could do more.
Significantly, the survey highlighted that 92% of those surveyed felt that the NFA could provide greater industry leadership and strategic involvement than it does currently. It was also felt, by 86% of those questioned, that the NFA should encourage the criminal justice system to move towards a greater emphasis on fraud prevention.
Furthermore, when respondents were asked to review perceived progress of the NFA since its inception, 71 % of those questioned felt that the NFA had made little or no overall impact in supporting the work of those surveyed. Only 29% of respondents felt that they had made some impact. None of those questioned felt that the NFA had made a major impact.
On a positive note, the survey revealed that the majority of respondents felt the NFA had been responsible for improved awareness of key industry issues and also that it is seen as a valuable resource for useful information. There was a feeling too amongst some respondents that the NFA is seen as a valid force in driving best practice.
Amongst the areas where respondents felt the NFA could improve more, were the need to share data between public and private sectors (89%), supporting victims of fraud (86%) and developing further best practice standards beyond current levels (63%).
Commenting on the survey, Paul Rogers, Chairman of the cards and payments community organization Vendorcom, emphasized the need for stronger engagement with stakeholders in the fraud prevention ecosystem. In his view; The output from the NFA does not reflect the contribution of its existing partners or the considerably greater impact that the NFA could make if it were to reach out more proactively to the wider cards and payments industry and those on the front line of fraud prevention.
For his part Bill Trueman CEO of UKFraud called for the debate to widen, There are positives to note here but there is also a great deal of the UK industrys frustration visible in these results. Many feel that the NFA could do more and I feel that this would be easier to achieve if there was a more inclusive dialogue. This would allow the NFA to take more of a lead in developing direction and strategy, and to drive forward with action and initiatives, without being inhibited by its political public sector masters.