Hexham MP Guy Opperman has today welcomed the Government’s Fraud Strategy.
No one should have to tolerate a barrage of scam texts, phone calls and fake advertising.
Fraud is not a victimless crime – victims have lost thousands of pounds and their confidence, and many suffer mental health issues as a result.
1 in 15 adults have been victims of fraud. There were an estimated 3.7 million incidents of fraud in England and Wales to the year ending September 2022, with 80% of scams carried out online. Reported losses total £2.35 billion, with an average personal loss of around £3,000. Almost three-quarters of victims experience some emotional impact. Sadly, Action Fraud deal with over 300 calls a year where someone is judged to be at risk of suicide.
Today, the Government set out further measures to crack down on this crime by:
• Cracking down on fraudulent text messages by banning SIM farms and reviewing the use of mass texting services.
• Banning cold calls on all financial products so fraudsters cannot dupe people into buying fake investments.
• Placing a duty on social media companies to prevent fraud on their platforms, making the UK the safest place in the world to be online.
• Stopping fraudsters impersonating legitimate businesses.
• Appointing Anthony Browne MP to be the Government’s Anti-Fraud Champion.
The Government’s new measures will support victims by:
• Changing the law, so more victims get their money back from their bank.
• Transforming Action Fraud and making it easier to report fraud online, ensuring fraudulent content is reported and taken down.
Welcoming the measures, Guy Opperman MP said:
“Fraud now accounts for over 40% of crime. It costs us nearly £7 billion a year, and we know these proceeds fund organised crime and terror. Moreover, new technologies are making these scams easier and more challenging to police.
The Government’s plan will help protect my constituents and their loved ones from these scams and the predators who perpetuate them. The time has come to put the fraudsters out of business. And that’s what the Government is determined to do.”
ENDS