Written question asked by David Ruffley (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 October 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 October 2008. It was answered by Alan Campbell (Labour) on Wednesday, 5 November 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Fraud: Credit Cards

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded offences of credit card fraud there were in each year since 1997; what the estimated cost was of these offences; and what percentage of these offences resulted in a conviction.

Answer: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Home Office recorded crime statistics cannot separately identify offences specifically relating to credit card fraud. Such offences are encompassed in a larger category of Fraud by False Representation involving Cheque, Plastic Card and Online Bank Accounts. We do incorporate figures on plastic card fraud from the UK Payments Association within our annual crime publication. Their latest figures can be found on page 107 of 'Crime in England and Wales 2007-08' which can be accessed at:"http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb0708.pdf."

Secondary information