The Northern Ireland Fraud Forum, launched this morning at a virtual event in Belfast, brings together representatives from the business community, professional advisors and practitioners, the public sector, and organisations from the community and voluntary sector.

The new body is chaired by Bill McCluggage, managing director of Laganview Associates and former chief information officer for the Irish government, and includes private sector industry professionals like Eversheds Sutherland, Grant Thornton, and PKF-FPM, as well as public organisations like HMRC and the PSNI.

Matthew Howse, a dispute resolution and litigation partner at Eversheds Sutherland in Belfast, said: “Eversheds Sutherland are proud to be involved in this new initiative which will raise awareness of the dangers of fraud and promote best practice among the public, private, and third sectors in Northern Ireland.

“Fraud, white-collar crime, and increasingly sophisticated digital scams are a severe risk to businesses and organisations of all kinds and, in the worst instances, can lead to redundancies and life-changing circumstances.

“The Northern Ireland Fraud Forum is a body which seeks to bring together the expertise of leading professional advisors and practitioners, as well as organisations at the frontline of the fight against fraud like HMRC and the PSNI, in an effort to professionalise the response to fraud locally.

“This is the first step in tackling economic crime and educating local business owners, employers, charities, voluntary groups, and other organisations about how to spot fraud, deal with it, and ultimately avoid its worst consequences.”