Yorkshire saw a dramatic rise in the value of fraud cases during 2013, a survey has revealed.
The latest Fraud Barometer from accountancy firm KPMG showed the value of offences in the region almost doubled during 2013 – totalling £36.2m compared with £13.3m in 2012. But there were 24 cases last year against 25 for the previous 12 months.
The dramatic rise, which saw the average fraud value rise to £1.5m from £530,014, can be attributed to a case in Leeds that saw an IT manager fraudulently procure and sell on £19m of computer equipment from a business to feed his online gambling addiction.
The regional results differ to the national findings which saw average case values fall.
Other cases included a retired primary school headteacher from Birstall who was jailed after fraudulently taking £215,000 from an elderly woman.
Vivien Osborne, forensic director at KPMG in West Yorkshire, said: “ Yorkshire’s Crown Courts predominantly dealt with ‘low-level’ fraud activity in 2013.
“We have seen some worrying incidents where people have abused their positions of responsibility and In some cases, it has been their own family or the elderly that have been targeted.”
She said: “We are likely to see this type of activity continue as inflationary pressures on income and difficulties in managing debt tempt lower level con artists, rather than career criminals, to commit fraud.”
