Most people are well aware of the need to bolt doors and fasten windows to keep thieves at bay, but there are some criminals who can’t be stopped by a good lock.

Lies and deceit, not force, are the tools of the fraudsters’ trade as they try to manipulate victims into parting with their cash.

These devious parasites seem to come up with ever more ingenious methods of drawing people into their web, and the effects of their crimes on victims, in both emotional and financial terms, can be devastating.

The internet is a boon to such criminals because, regardless of where they are based, they can target people across the country – including here in Bradford.

So it stands to reason that if offenders are casting their nets wide, then the police must do likewise to catch them.

That seems to be the thinking behind a partnership between West Yorkshire Police and Action Fraud, a national fraud centre.

Action Fraud collects details from victims anywhere in the country which are then fed into the police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau to give officers a more complete picture of criminal activity to aid detection.

Of course it would be preferable if people did not become victims in the first place, so it also offers the public advice on how to avoid scams.

Hopefully, this initiative’s obvious potential will translate into real increases in convictions and fewer victims.