Professional advisers and whistleblowers

Richard Alderman, director of the Serious Fraud Office, in an interview with the FT published on 13 July 2009 said that through a combination of contacts with City businesses, professional advisers and whistleblowers, the SFO had decided to focus on asset-backed securities, insurance fraud, private equity companies and hedge funds as prime areas for further inquiry. This will complement the SFO's current campaign of targeting corporate and overseas corruption cases. The SFO director's interview coincided with the publication of the SFO's report for 2008/09 .

During the year the SFO reports that they:

• Were granted their first ever Serious Crime Prevention Order
• Settled their first case on civil lines using Proceeds of Crime legislation
• Opened a telephone helpline (020 7239 7388) – a fraud reporting and whistleblowers line aimed to enhance the support to victims, witnesses and whistleblowers

To arrange a discussion with no obligations, call Sarah Wallace on 0207 421 3883 or send us an online enquiry. You can find further fraud information in our Crime and Fraud section or Business Crime section.