Fraud & Financial Crime Solicitors

Are you or your business under investigation for financial crime or fraud in Northern Ireland, whether due to a misunderstanding, a genuine mistake or other circumstances?

Our experienced fraud and financial crime solicitors are ready to give you expert legal advice to guide you through this stressful time and resolve the matter.

Financial Crime & Fraud in Northern Ireland

Being accused of fraud or other financial crimes can be hugely damaging and disruptive to your personal and professional life. The stress of an investigation, the threat to your reputation and the sheer amount of time it consumes mean accusations can weigh heavily on the people involved and their families.

Yet the number of financial crime and fraud accusations in Northern Ireland and the UK is increasing. Multiple agencies — including the Serious Fraud Office, HMRC and the Police Service of Northern Ireland — enforce increasingly strict regulations around fraud. An investigation by any of these agencies into alleged financial crimes places you or your company at greater risk of criminal charges for fraud and related offences.

If you are being investigated for fraud or financial crimes, contact our experienced fraud solicitors for professional legal advice on tackling the accusations being made against you.

Accusations of Fraud & White Collar Financial Crimes

Fraud is when someone makes a gain or causes someone else to make a loss through dishonesty. The Fraud Act (2006) outlines three main types of fraud in Northern Ireland and the UK. These are fraud by false representation, fraud by failing to disclose information and fraud by abuse of power.

Our fraud and financial crime solicitors have vast experience of dealing with different types of fraud accusations that are considered to be white collar financial crimes. These include:

Serious Fraud
Fraud cases involving high-value financial crime or very complex fraud cases. This could include banking fraud, boiler room fraud and VAT fraud.

Tax Evasion
When someone is alleged to have deliberately taken illegal measures to not to pay the tax they are due to pay HMRC. This could relate to Income Tax, Corporation Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax, VAT or National Insurance.

Money Laundering
Accusations of converting money from criminal activity into assets or cash that appear to have been earned legally. This could be to hide an individual’s own criminal activity or to clean money from someone else’s criminal enterprise.

Mortgage or Insurance Fraud
When somebody is accused of obtaining a loan or insurance policy, by giving false information on their application. Individuals can be accused of overvaluing properties, taking out mortgages in other people’s names or making fraudulent insurance claims.

Benefit Fraud
Claiming Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment or other benefits to which an individual is not or is no longer entitled. This fraud could be committed by providing false information or failing to notify the authorities about a change in circumstances.

Credit Card or Identity Fraud
Taking someone else’s details or documents to commit acts of fraud. This could include obtaining loans or credit cards, applying for a passport or other document or ordering goods using a stolen identity.

Employee Fraud
Being accused of defrauding your employer for personal gain encompasses actions such as stealing company assets, including funds, resources, or data, as well as manipulating payroll or falsifying expense claims.

Counterfeit Money Fraud
Counterfeit money fraud accusations include producing or using fake currency to deceive individuals or businesses. This could include printing counterfeit bills, distributing fake currency or attempting to pass counterfeit money as legitimate.

How Our Fraud Solicitors Defend You

We’ve helped many individuals and businesses accused of white collar financial crime in Northern Ireland. As well as handling fraud cases in Northern Ireland, our solicitors also act on complex fraud cases involving multiple jurisdictions.

In all cases, we offer practical legal advice and assistance to bring fraud cases to the best possible conclusion. We will advise you on how to limit the impact of a fraud investigation on your business or personal life, cooperating with investigators and police on your behalf. If a criminal case follows, we will support and defend you at every stage.

Some of the ways we help include:

• Police Station Representation – Police interview preparation will help safeguard your interests, with expert advice on how to effectively respond to police station questioning.
• Police Report Analysis – Forensic examinations of police reports and evidence against you, to identify any discrepancies or weaknesses in the prosecution’s case.
• Court Representation – Bringing your case to the best possible outcome with as little impact on your personal and professional as possible, whether that may include bail negotiations, plea deals or settlements.
• Fraud Defence Strategies – Building a robust and proactive defence to bring the fraud case against you to a successful conclusion.
• Crisis Management – Overseeing the response to the reputational and financial impact of fraud or a fraud investigation on your behalf.
• Liaisons with Investigative Authorities – Comprehensive legal support to act as your point of contact with fraud investigators and minimise the disruption caused by the investigation.

Garret McCann – Expert Fraud Defence Solicitor

FAQs

Contact Our Fraud Defence Solicitors Today

If you’re being investigated for fraud by the PSNI or HMRC, or have been charged with a financial crime in Northern Ireland, contact us for a free, friendly, no-obligation consultation.

We look forward to hearing from you.