16/11/2026

In this two part series, Welsh comedian Bennett Arron, who was one of the first major victims of identity theft in the UK, looks at how North Wales has become the UK’s leading hotspot for online fraud. Recent studies drawing on National Fraud Intelligence Bureau data place Wales near the top of the scam rate tables — and North Wales at number one, with the highest number of fraud reports per head of population. From phishing attacks to investment fraud and romance scams, the area is being hit by criminals who are organised, adaptive and increasingly digital.

Across the series, Bennett hears from victims, fraud and scam experts, and politicians, including North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin, who outlines the scale of the challenge facing the region and the pressure to keep pace with fast moving online crime.

Bennett also revisits his own story nearly 30 years after identity theft left him and his pregnant wife penniless and homeless. Several years later he made a Channel 4 documentary in which he tested how willing people were to hand over personal details, revealing just how easily trust can be exploited. In this series, he’s keen to see whether people have become more guarded over the past two decades.

What happened to Bennett still affects him to this day and he catches up with Lib Dem peer Lord Tim Clement Jones, who has been helping him push for a change in the law to finally make identity theft an offence. By the end of the series, could we witness the first steps towards a “Bennett’s Law”?

Presenter: Bennett Arron
Producer: Ashley Byrne
An MIM Production for BBC Radio Wales