Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to protect (a) older and (b) more vulnerable people from financial fraud.
The Government recognises the devastating impact of fraud on people’s lives, particularly the elderly and most vulnerable people in society. To ensure their protection from financial fraud, the Government has taken various steps.
We have sanctioned the banning of cold calls from personal injury firms and pension providers, unless the consumer has explicitly agreed to be contacted and we have introduced director liability for companies who make nuisance calls. Through the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), we have imposed strict obligations on organisations that make direct marketing calls, live or automated, to individuals in the UK. We have worked with Ofcom, UK Finance and the telecoms providers to identify and block calls from fraudsters.