Suspicious activity reports have helped to freeze and recover criminal funds in 18 cases featured in the National Crime Agency's latest SARs Reporter Booklet, and several of them hold useful lessons for bookkeepers.
In one case, a newly formed company received more than £150,000 from a public body and quickly moved the money on. A further £150,000 was blocked, and £160,000 was forfeited and returned to the public body.
Other examples involve warning signs that bookkeepers are well placed to spot. A dormant business account with contradictory Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes suddenly received a run of high-value payments, which led to more than £65,000 being frozen and forfeited. Several reports also supported an investigation into waste management companies suspected of tax evasion and operating without licences.
The booklet also shows why checks at the start of a client relationship matter. A forged ID found during know your customer checks linked accounts holding more than £68,000 in fraudulent funds, and the subject was arrested.
Red flags that appear across the cases include inconsistent business information, activity that does not match what a business says it does, money moving quickly in and out of accounts, and payments from unrelated third parties.
Garry Carter, Head of Professional Standards at ICB, said: "Bookkeepers are often the first to notice when something in a client's records does not look right. This booklet shows how much a well-made report can achieve, and I would encourage every ICB member to read it."
Read the SARs Reporter Booklet October 2026