We all know that money is tight, but now it's emerging that tough times are bringing out the Artful Dodger in many people. The credit crunch is giving way to a wave of crime and fraud, with people stealing everything from cash to chickens.


Recent figures show employee fraud has cost UK companies more than £77m in the first half of this year - up from just £10m in the same period last year. Some staff are making extra cash through fake expenses claims or stealing company stock or software for resale.


Perhaps the saddest example of the crunch is that many supermarkets have had to step up their security. Sainsburys and Tesco have both attached security tags to their chicken and meat. The devices have to be removed at the till, and let of a shrill alarm if anyone walks out of the door without having the tag removed.

Even more bizarrely, the latest 'must-have' for shoplifters is Slim Fast shakes.The £7 six packs of the meal replacement drinks have been security-tagged after disappearing en masse from supermarket shelves.

Dodgy claims for car crashes are up by 70% with dishonest motorists deliberately writing off their cars to clear their debts. Investigators having uncovered 24,000 fraudulent claims worth £260 million over the past year, according to the Association of British Insurers.

Petrol stations are also reporting many more cases of people driving off without paying. I always pay for petrol with cash now after so many people I know have had credit and debit cards cloned after filling up.

Also lock the garage and shed up, as police say houses,garages and sheds are the first places to get cleaned out.