Christine Dainty, bank manager of TSB Tavistock talks to the Times ahead of an anti-fraud event in the town this weekend.

’?Fraud is now one of the most common crimes in the UK, with one in four Brits falling victim to this form of theft in the last year alone. And working as a bank manager in Tavistock, I hear about the damage it does to victims, both financially and emotionally, far too often.

?’Whether it’s SIM swap, phone spoofing or a romance scam, the list of frauds is growing, and the losses are mounting up – according to UK Finance criminals stole £1.2 billion through fraud and scams in 2018 and in Devon alone, between April 2018 and September 2018 there were 4,883 crimes reported to Action Fraud, totalling £12m in victim losses.

’Thankfully, banks are pretty good at preventing fraud and collectively we were able to prevent £1.66-billion of unauthorised fraud in 2018 through our fraud systems and quick-to-act staff.

’But sadly, fraudsters will take advantage of any opportunity they can to create confusion and cause chaos. And we know just how sophisticated some scams can be. This is why TSB recently announced a significant change in the way it is tackling fraud head on, through its Fraud Refund Guarantee. This will ensure all of our customers will be protected if they are an innocent victim of fraud on their TSB account.

?’At TSB, we’re absolutely committed to taking a leading position in helping to stop fraud where possible and the best way for us to prevent it, is to help the local communities spot and stop it at source. This is why I am delighted to be hosting a Fraud Awareness Day at Tavistock Town Hall. We will be delivering a presentation about the latest tricks and scams and, more importantly, how to avoid them.

?’Everyone is welcome, it’s not just for TSB customers, so I’d love to see as many of you as possible come along. The event is on Sunday, May 19 from 10am until 12pm.

?For more information, please pop in and see us at our branch in Bedford Square, Tavistock, or come into our branch where we can also share our top 10 tips on how to protect yourself from fraud.