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Britain's Serious Fraud Office is calling on whistleblowers to come forward and report corporate swindles as the number of cases soars toward record levels in the wake of the credit crunch. The fraud squad, which plans to set up a dedicated hotline, hopes that accountants, lawyers, bankers, as well as those within companies themselves, will choose to contact the SFO at the first signs of a financial irregularity. Fraud in the UK has increased at an alarming rate since the economy worsened. Fraud in the finance and insurance sectors in the first half of 2008 was £636 million, 15 times the level of a year earlier. The SFO deals with corporate fraud or cases with individuals involving more than £1 million.