http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8473167.stm
I read this article with interest this week. Having been aware that in the background, fraud in the UK goes on in many different forms and costs us all quite a bit. Seeing the true extrent revealed for the first time really staggered me and I have a sneaky feeling that the total may be even higher in reality
£621 per person is the cost of this fraud in the UK. Roughly translated this is £1000 annual salary before tax and NI. Compare this with the average yearly salary of around £24000 for UK workers……!
It makes me angry but it also makes me sad that we live in a society that appears to prize personal wealth over welfare of ourselves as people. The element that really gets my goat is the benefit fraud that goes on. People seems to spend lots of energy and enterprise is trying to defraud the government (and thus us the taxpayer) of vast amounts of money rather than working hard in legitimate ways. To some degree though the system helps and indeed encourages people to do this. For example, if a couple with average earnings and say 2 children split up the government will pay around £600-800 a month in extra tax credit benefits (this is before anything else such as council tax reductions and energy bill reductions etc). For those that need it thats a great help but I know that this is being manipulated by quite a few people and I know of at least 2 couples within 1/2 mile of me that are fiddling this to their own end quite brazenly. It just makes me sick
Sorry for the rant, I work very hard and even when times have been tough have not resorted to defrauding (sorry….stealing from) anyone else inc the government. No wonder I like spending so much time in the hills……when I get the chance of course
Saddlebags and Backpacks - a brewer's outdoor adventures 
I was shocked when I saw it too. I suffered a credit card fraud last year. The credit card company took the full loss but were pretty lax in allowing it to happen. In the end we all pay, as customers end up being charged one way or another.
Ultimately, however, the blame lies with individuals. If we all treated others in the same way we expected to be treated and took responsibility for our actions, the world would be a better place. Unfortunately, there appears to be a growing number in society who don’t beleive this, and it makes us all poorer socially and materially.
completely agree Robin.
The banks and credit card companies seem all to accepting of credit card and other banking fraud because as you say eventually the bill is footed by us the customer anyway…
…and yes. If everyone took more responsibility for their own actions and towards society in general, the world would be a happier place
Yes, we’re all going to hell in a hand-cart – or is that the grumpy old beggar talking again?. It sure seems that way at any rate.
The companies basically don’t want the hassle: up to a point, it’s easier and cheaper to pay up and deal with fraud losses in the overall accounting, which as you say filters the cost down to us.
Speaking as one with some knowledge of cracking, with electronic fraud the old saying comes to mind: the more they soup up the plumbing, the easier it is to bung up the drain. Credit card numbers are not just any old numbers, they follow mathematical rules, which makes it possible for fraudsters to generate them from scratch…
Geoff,
I know you dont mean to but your words dont reassure me!!! 🙂
ah well, back to stuffing cash under the mattress
Awesome blog!
I started my own hiking blog over at http://www.ultimatehikingguide.blogspot.com
I think you’ll like it!