The value of fraud cases in Scotland almost tripled in a year, new figures from KPMG have shown.
The advisory group's bi-annual Fraud Barometer said fraud cases of more than £100,000 coming to court north of the border rose significantly in 2022.
It showed there were 24 cases totalling £17.4m, compared to 2021 when 16 cases worth a total £5.9m were heard in court.
The general public were the victims in 11 these cases – up on three the previous year. The total amount defrauded soared from £1m to £10.3m.
Five of the cases in 2022 related to commercial businesses defrauded of a combined value of £1.3 million.
Annette Barker, head of forensic at KPMG in the UK, said: “The dramatic increase of fraud cases coming to light in Scotland is worrying, particularly with many cases involving rogue employees abusing their positions of trust to steal money from their employers, clients and other partners.”
One case involved a 24-year-old Ayrshire man scamming £7 million from a top US Bitcoin broker, while 13 out of the 24 cases had a value of between £100,000 and £250,000.
Sandra Aitkenhead, senior manager of forensic at KPMG in Scotland, said: “Businesses must do all they can to maintain adequate controls to prevent serious fraud from being committed.
“Without the right safeguards in place, businesses across Scotland will unfortunately continue to be victims of crime and incur the reputational and financial damage which comes with it.”
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