Money transfer operator Western Union is working with London's Metropolitan Police Service to crack down on criminals that use its networks to transfer fraudulent funds.
The new initiative is being introduced to cut "high volume" fraud, which includes Internet auction site fraud, lottery scams, cheque overpayments, false Web sites, 'honey traps' and advanced fee fraud.
Criminals conducting this kind of fraud often use money transfer services, such as Western Union, as a conduit for moving funds.
Under the new programme, Western Union says customers who appear to be sending money for 'business purposes' or are in any way unsure of the intended recipient will be given a 'fraud warning' form containing details of common frauds, simple prevention advice and support contacts.
Western Union says it will also train staff to detect potentially fraudulent transactions and launch a customer awareness campaign.
Says Peter Bucher, VP of Western Union for EMEA: "Education is one of the best tools we have in the fight against consumer fraud and the educated consumer is better able to protect themselves."
The Metropolitan Police is also in discussions about launching a similar initiative with online auction service eBay in the UK.