The Prime Minister has outlined the Government’s plan to tackle scam calls and texts and bring those behind them to justice.
In the UK fraud accounts for 40 per cent of all crime with the cost to victims around £7bn per year. Advances in technology have made scams easier to carry out and harder to police.
The Government is taking the fight to the scammers to ensure this type of crime, which can have devastating consequences for victims, is stamped out.
There are three main themes of the strategy. The first is preventing scam calls, texts and emails reaching people in the first place. So-called ‘SIM farms’, devices which can text thousands of people in one go, will be outlawed. The Government and Ofcom will work together on stopping ‘spoofing’ where scammers impersonate UK phone numbers and claim to be calling from a bank, telephone company or other legitimate business.
The Prime Minister has also announced a new National Fraud Squad, supported by the National Crime Agency and the City of London Police, with 400 new posts. These organisations will step up international cooperation to identify and disrupt fraudsters overseas.
The plan also implements tools designed to help individuals including a new £30m reporting centre and a one-click fraud reporting button on all social media platforms. Banks will be given more time to process payments to allow suspicious payments to undergo additional scrutiny before clearance.
Commenting on this Andrew Jones MP said: “Scammers are cruel people taking advantage of often vulnerable individuals. Their actions can ruin lives and their methods are becoming ever more sophisticated.
“I am pleased to see the Prime Minister announce these measures which will allow law enforcement agencies to get on top of fraudsters and disrupt them at source.”
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