The Department of the Economy has the task of preventing fraud on means of payment and consumer credit instruments, monitoring euro counterfeiting, and carrying out specialist training activities, at national and international level, in its areas of competence. The Department makes use, by law, of qualified Guardia di Finanza (Italian Tax Police) personnel, placed under the functional authority of the Director General of the Economy.

1. PAYMENT CARD FRAUD

The Department has put in place a two-pronged strategy:

1. A computerised archive (Sipaf) now known as Simec Area Carte, which enables issuing companies, and the operators of commercial networks accepting such cards, to consult and share, in real time, data and information on suspicious commercial transactions and failed or risky transactions;
2. A permanent forum called Gipaf 'Interdisciplinary Working Group for the Administrative Prevention of Payment Card Fraud', consisting of top experts from the public and private sector with policy and analysis functions.

The prevention system is therefore aimed at protecting the banking sector of issuing companies and, indirectly, citizens who place their trust in payment instruments as a substitute for cash; at combating and reducing the insidious phenomenon of fraud, including instances of fraud perpetrated on-line.

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2. CONSUMER CREDIT FRAUD

A strategy is defined, based on a synergistic approach, to initiate and develop effective collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The phenomenon of credit fraud is also growing at an alarming rate in our country, and prevention initiatives are not yet sufficient to tackle the different ways in which criminal actions can be perpetrated. In this context, the Department has, for example, identified the opportunity to promote practical initiatives during the meetings of the Interdisciplinary Working Group for the administrative prevention of payment card fraud, seeking synergies - also in relation to projects currently being studied and launched - in particular with the trade associations designated by the National Council for Consumers and Users (CNU).

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3. PROTECTING THE EURO FROM COUNTERFEITING

The collection and exchange of data enables both the identification of counterfeit notes and coins, through the technical description of the type of counterfeit, and the strategic analysis of the counterfeiting phenomenon. The Department participates in the work of the advisory committee called the Euro counterfeiting experts group (Eceg) chaired by the European Commission - European anti-fraud office.
The monitoring activity covers all euro currency identified on the national territory and withdrawn from circulation by cash handlers under the relevant Italian legislation, Decree Law 350/2001, (banks, post offices, money custody and transport companies, etc.) or seized by the police ((Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza and Polizia di Stato).

Through the strategic analysis of the information received, the Department assesses the impact of the phenomenon on the economic and financial system.
The Department maintains a special computerised archive, provides technical assistance and cooperates with the police forces. The centralisation of all information is intended to improve prevention and facilitate analysis and investigation in the broadest sense.
Stopping the phenomenon is the responsibility of the Ufficio centrale italiano del falso monetario (Ucifm), an inter-force office (Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza and Polizia di Stato) acting within the service for international police cooperation, at the Ministry of the Interior.
The Ucifm and the Department of Economic Affairs, although operating on separate and distinct levels, interact with the aim of ensuring that the arrangements for protecting the euro against counterfeiting are as efficient and integrated as possible, in line with the fundamental EU principles. 

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4. TRAINING

The Department promotes training activities at national and EU level on the subjects within its competence. It is among the national authorities at European level that are most active in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the European training, assistance and exchange programme on the protection of the euro against counterfeiting 'Pericles', managed by the European Commission - European anti-fraud office. The programme, established in 2001, has become the benchmark in the field and the Department has contributed significantly to its success also through the proposal and execution of specific projects.
At national level, training days on the euro and card databases, of which it is the owner, are promoted for institutional stakeholders and entities that are part of the respective systems. At local level, in cooperation with local administrations and the university sector, it organises seminars and workshops aimed at groups involved in the counterfeiting phenomenon, including citizens.

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