Fraud awareness event being held in Horsham today

The event is being held in Swan Walk shopping centre from 10am until 4pm.

TSB Horsham manager Jason Watson said: “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 Horsham, 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 Sussex alone, between April 2018 and September 2018 there were 6,340 crimes reported to Action Fraud, totalling £13.3m 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.

“Throughout the day we will be speaking to people about what to look out for and we will be joined by Sussex Police, Age UK, Neighbourhood Watch and Citizen Advice Bureau who will all be attending.

“Everyone is welcome, it’s not just for TSB customers,” he added.