Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to encourage and support digital literacy amongst older people to protect themselves against online fraud.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Government recognises the importance of helping people develop the skills and awareness needed to protect themselves from online fraud. This includes the elderly who may be targeted specifically by criminals.

Earlier this year, the Government published an updated Fraud Strategy which set out a comprehensive response to fraud, with a focus on taking greater proactive action to reduce vulnerability and build resilience within all sectors of society. This includes:

• Enhancing data-led policing, where Report Fraud data will be used to proactively identify fraud hotspots in local areas and deliver targeted and practical advice and interventions.

• Increasing awareness and recognition by expanding the Government’s Stop! Think Fraud Campaign and using a range of outreach channels to provide practical fraud prevention advice and promote fraud education for all ages.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are also taking steps to increase digital literacy to help everyone safeguard themselves against wider online risks including fraud. This includes working with Ofcom, as the UK’s online safety regulator, to fund practical media literacy programmes that help people understand online content, including a specific project aimed at helping older adults spot false information online.