Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle fraudsters who send fake messages that urge people to purchase covid-19 testing kits; and if she will make a statement.

The Government is aware that fraudsters continue to exploit the pandemic to commit opportunistic crimes such as fraud. We are working closely with local enforcement teams and urging the public to beware of fake text messages instructing people to purchase covid-19 testing kits. That is why published guidance to assist the public in purchasing covid-19 testing kits. This advice can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing.

The Government takes the issue of disinformation very seriously. That’s why we stood up the Counter Disinformation Unit in March 2020 which brings together monitoring and analysis capabilities across Government and is working at pace to develop a comprehensive picture of the extent, scope and the reach of disinformation and misinformation on COVID-19, and to work with partners to tackle it.

We continue to encourage anybody who suspects an email, text or other form of communication to be suspicious to report it to report@phishing.gov.uk or forward a text to 7726, free of charge. This information is being used by law enforcement partners, alongside crime reports to identify, disrupt and stop fraudsters.