Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle scams perpetrated (a) by telephone and (b) online.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We are working extremely closely with all partners, including telecommunications networks and tech platforms, as well as regulators, law enforcement, and consumer groups to close the vulnerabilities that criminals exploit to commit fraud and to stop scams from reaching the public in the first place
The Government is currently working with telecommunications networks to develop a second Telecoms Charter, to build on the success of the first and go further in identifying, preventing and disrupting telecoms fraud. Under the first Telecommunications Charter, telecoms operators introduced firewalls that have stopped more than 1 billion scam text messages since January 2022. In a landmark, Europe-first move, we are also banning ‘SIM farms’, which are technical devices used to send out scam texts to thousands of people at once. The ban on ‘SIM farms’ is progressing through Parliament as part of the Crime & Policing Bill.
Regarding online fraud, the Online Safety Act’s illegal harm duties have been in force since March this year, of which fraud is included. The Act therefore requires all in-scope platforms to tackle fraud originating on their platforms, by taking proactive measures to stop fraudulent content appearing, and removing it quickly when they become aware of it. Ofcom, as the independent regulator, have the power to levy significant fines on companies who they deem as non-compliant.
Late this year, this Government will also be publishing an expanded fraud strategy, which will include further details of collaboration telecommunications networks and online platforms to tackle these pernicious crimes.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help protect British peoples' (a) assets and (b) other interests that are held abroad in the context of trends in the level of (i) cyber fraud and (ii) digital asset theft.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Office works closely with international partners and law enforcement, including the National Crime Agency, to tackle the threat from cyber crime from abroad as well as at home to protect the UK and its interests. 70% of fraud has an overseas element, and so international collaboration is a critical part of our work to protect British people and their assets from fraud.
The UK is committed to international cooperation on cyber crime. As part of this, we have driven international policy making on ransomware through the UK’s leadership position in the Counter Ransomware Initiative, leading the world’s first international government statement against ransomware payments in 2023 and the world’s first joint policy guidance for ransomware victims with the cyber insurance sector in 2024.
Working with key international partners, we have secured key safeguards in the UN Cybercrime Convention which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2024. The Convention will also standardise legislative and investigative practises on cyber crimes, ensuring all nations improve their capability to deal with the threats that have been changed in scale or reach by the internet.
As a global leader in the fight against fraud, the UK is driving forward policy and operational activity with key partners and on the multilateral stage. This has included playing a central role in the adoption of the first ever UN resolution on fraud at the 12th Conference of Parties for the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC). We have also recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Nigeria to provide increased protection for victims, faster law enforcement intervention and earlier disruption of cross-border criminal groups.
We will continue to prioritise initiatives to keep the public safe from the evolving transnational threat as part of the new Fraud Strategy and cyber crime initiatives.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 in preventing fraud.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Online Safety Act (OSA) was passed in November 2023 and requires all in-scope platforms to tackle fraud on their platforms. The OSA’s first codes, dealing with illegal content, came into effect and were enforceable from March 2025. This means that all in-scope companies will need to put in place systems and processes to stop fraud from appearing on their platforms and services.
In addition, the Act’s fraudulent advertising duty will require the largest companies to appropriately tackle fraudulent advertising. According to Ofcom’s Online Safety Act Roadmap the draft codes for this duty will be published in draft in early 2026.
The Government is working closely with Ofcom on the implementation of the Online Safety Act and will continue to monitor its efficacy as the Act is enforced.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 for preventing fraud.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Online Safety Act now requires in-scope platforms to implement effective measures to prevent illegal fraudulent user-generated content and activity. Ofcom has launched an enforcement programme to monitor compliance with the illegal content duties and a consultation to strengthen codes of practice, including proposals for automated tools to detect illegal content, including fraud. Additionally, the largest user-to-user and search services (Category 1 and 2A) must tackle paid-for fraudulent ads once the relevant codes are in force.
The Government is required to review the effectiveness of the online safety framework, two to five years after key provisions have come into force.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to raise awareness of online scams.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The national Stop! Think Fraud campaign helps the public recognise fraud and scams, including common scams people may see online, and the steps they can take to protect themselves, their family and friends.
The website can be accessed at Stop! Think Fraud - How to stay safe from scams and is regularly updated. We are also working with tech companies to promote the messaging of the Stop! Think Fraud campaign on their platforms, as a commitment under the Online Fraud Charter.
Improving public awareness and victim support will be one of the seven key areas in the next Fraud Strategy.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK citizens are protected from online fraud and social media and text messaging scams.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
Under the Online Safety Act regulatory framework, online platforms are required to take steps to reduce the risk their services are used to facilitate fraud, scams and other illegal activity. These duties have started to take effect on services. Ofcom is the regulator and has powers to enforce against non-compliance.
Government and industry are also currently developing a second Telecoms Charter. Under the first Telecommunications Charter, telecoms operators introduced firewalls that have stopped more than 1 billion scam text messages since January 2022. The Government will also ban “SIM farms”, devices used to send out scam texts to thousands of people at once.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Ofcom regarding the implementation of measures in the Online Safety Act 2023 to combat fraud.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
DSIT regularly engages with Ofcom on the implementation of the Online Safety Act. The Act will help tackle online fraud, including fraudulent advertising. Since 17 March 2025, all services are required to take measures to tackle illegal fraud.
Further fraudulent advertising duties on Category 1 and 2A services will come into effect once the register of categorised services and the relevant codes are in place. Ofcom plans to publish the register this summer and then consult on the draft codes of practice for the remaining duties by early 2026. We anticipate the duties will come into force around a year later.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether Ofcom has made an estimate of the reduction in fraud on in-scope platforms from the Illegal Content Codes of Practice.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Online Safety Act gives user-to-user and search service providers new duties for tackling illegal fraud. These duties took effect on 17 March. Providers will need to conduct risk assessments and ensure they put in place systems and processes that proactively tackle fraud. Ofcom set out details about how providers can comply with their duties in its illegal harms codes of practice. Ofcom will keep the effectiveness of its codes under review and strengthen the codes as needed. The department is not aware of any specific estimate for fraud reduction by Ofcom.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen cooperation with other nations to help tackle online fraud.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government recognises the serious threat posed by fraudsters targeting UK citizens from abroad. In October 2024, the UK played a pivotal role in helping pass the first ever UN Resolution on Fraud at the 12th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).
The resolution outlines a set of key recommendations that all signatories to the UNTOC (186 Member States) should implement to mitigate the threat of fraud to their citizens. These recommendations include codifying fraud as a serious crime, pursuing fraudsters, protecting victims, and collaborating closely with the private sector to design out fraud. By establishing these guidelines, the resolution sets a baseline of global standards for all member states to follow. This is a significant advancement in the global fight against fraud and underscores our shared commitment with international partners in combating this pernicious crime.
As part of the Government’s on-going work to tackle fraud internationally, we continue to work closely with our strategic partners including Five Eyes countries, Singapore, EU nations and INTERPOL, to target fraud and scams at source. Through these forums we are working with source countries (where transnational organised fraud and cybercrime groups operate) to build capacity in their law enforcement agencies, in order to tackle and disrupt overseas fraud before it reaches the UK.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress has been made to replace the Action Fraud website with an upgraded reporting system hosted by the City of London Police.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Office are working with the City of London Police to replace Action Fraud with a new and improved national police reporting service for fraud and cyber crime.
The new service will provide better support services and reporting tools for victims, provide greater intelligence to law enforcement, and allow for greater prevention and disruption at scale. This will include an upgraded call centre and a new user-friendly, accessible website for reporting fraud, offering simpler pathways to support and guidance.
A phased introduction of the new service is underway and will continue throughout 2025.
The first phase, completed in November 2024, saw the introduction of the new crime and intelligence management system. This will improve the analysis of reports, the quality of intelligence drawn from them, and how quickly this is sent to police forces for investigation.