Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle online fraud.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Last month, the government published a new strategy to address the threat of fraud. One of the three pillars included in the strategy focuses on blocking frauds from happening in the first place, which includes actions to prevent online fraud. This includes ensuring the tech sector take fraud seriously and put in place extra protections for their customers, shining a light on which platforms are the safest and that companies are properly incentivised to combat fraud. We are working with tech companies to create an online fraud charter which will include a number of voluntary actions to help design out fraud.
The Online Safety Bill will also tackle online harms, including fraud and fraudulent advertising. This means that social media and search engine companies will have to take robust, proactive action to ensure that their users are not exposed to these crimes in the first place. We expect this to have a strong impact on some of the highest harm fraud types.
We are replacing the Action Fraud service to create a more efficient new system that will provide better intelligence to forces. Improvements include:
These improvements, which have been tested across the victim support landscape, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant bodies, will improve the support services and reporting tools for victims, provide greater intelligence and insight to policing for investigations, and allow for greater proactive work to prevent and disrupt fraudsters at scale.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including measures to help tackle fake online reviews in the Online Safety Bill.
Answered by Paul Scully
Online fake reviews are not within scope of the Online Safety Bill but are being addressed through separate legislation. The new Digital Markets and Consumers Competition Bill, which was introduced to Parliament on 25 April, includes a delegated power to amend the ‘blacklist’ of automatically unfair practices set out in the Bill.
The first intended use of this power is to add practices related to fake and misleading reviews following consultation during Bill passage. This will give greater clarity to business and consumers and, where fake reviews are posted, allow enforcers to take effective action quickly.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle fake online reviews.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government introduced the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Bill on 25 April. The DMCC Bill includes a delegated power to amend the list of automatically unfair practices in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
The Government will consult on the use of this power during bill passage with a view to adding practices related to fake and misleading reviews to the list of automatically unfair practices. This will give greater clarity to business on their responsibilities in relation to consumer reviews and allow enforcers to take effective action quickly.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to tackle financial scams.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime. Tackling fraud requires a unified and co-ordinated response from government, law enforcement and the private sector to better protect the public and businesses from fraud, reduce the impact of fraud on victims, and increase the disruption and prosecution of fraudsters.
The Government is taking action through legislation through the Financial Services and Markets Bill which will enable and require the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to mandate reimbursement for victims of Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams, where a victim is tricked into sending money to a fraudster. This measure will enable consumers across the country to receive more consistent and comprehensive protection against these increasingly sophisticated scams, ensuring victims are not left paying for fraud through no fault of their own.
The Government is also taking action to address fraudulent activity being hosted online through the Online Safety Bill. The Bill includes a new standalone duty requiring large internet firms to tackle fraudulent advertising, including of financial services.
In addition to this, the total Spending Review 2021 settlement and the Economic Crime Levy represent an overall package of circa £400 million to tackle economic crime over the next three years, including fraud.
The Government is working closely with industry to tackle fraud. In 2021, the Joint Fraud Taskforce (JFT) published three voluntary sector charters. The charters aim to combat fraud in the accountancy, retail banking and telecommunications sectors and include commitments to develop innovative measures to reduce fraud facilitated through these industries, e.g., money muling and SMS enabled fraud.
Finally, the Government intends to publish a new strategy to address the threat of fraud shortly. Through this strategy, the Government will work with industry to remove the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit, with intelligence agencies to shut down fraudulent infrastructure, with law enforcement to identify and bring the most harmful offenders to justice, and with all partners to ensure that the public have the advice and support they need.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken with (a) law enforcement agencies and (b) internet service providers to remove social media posts that (i) sell and market drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and (ii) commit other offences in the last (A) 12 months and (B) five years.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Drugs devastate lives, ruin families and damage communities. As part of our 10-year Drugs Strategy, the Government is committed to driving down drugs supply in the UK, including through tough law enforcement against the sale of drugs online. Law enforcement agencies work with internet service providers to shut down UK-based websites found to be selling drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and committing other offences.
Further measures to tackle the sale of controlled drugs and other offences are included in the Online Safety Bill, which was introduced on 17 March 2022, and is currently undergoing passage through Parliament. Under this legislation tech companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content online. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker. Illegal content covered will include terrorist material, child sexual exploitation and abuse material, hate crime, fraud and the sale of illegal drugs or weapons.
The Government has invested in specialist investigation teams at regional and national level to provide the relevant knowledge, skills and capabilities for enforcement online. This includes a number of harm-specific units that refer illegal content to social media companies so it can be taken down, in accordance with platforms’ terms and conditions.
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 internet shopping scams.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Tackling fraud requires a unified and co-ordinated response from government, law enforcement and the private sector to better protect the public and businesses from fraud, reduce the impact of fraud on victims, and increase the disruption and prosecution of fraudsters.
We will publish a strategy setting out how we will do this shortly. Raising awareness and safeguarding victims will form a key part of the Government's forthcoming fraud strategy. The strategy will outline how we will raise public awareness and safeguard victims through a number of actions including the provision of clear and consistent protect advice.
We are also working on a number of proactive actions to prevent fraud, including online shopping scams. Fraud has been brought into scope of the Online Safety Bill to make tech firms responsible for protecting their customers from fraud. DCMS is also leading work on the Online Advertising Programme, which is considering further regulation of online advertising and examining all harms related to online advertising, including fraud.
We are intending to launch a tech sector charter that will examine more ways Government and industry can collaborate and put in place further innovative solutions to protect the public from losing their hard-earned money.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Welsh Government on taking steps to tackle digital poverty amongst pensioners in Newport West constituency.
Answered by Paul Scully
Digital inclusion is a devolved policy area, and as such most relevant initiatives are undertaken by the Welsh Government. However the government is focused on building a world-leading digital economy that works for everyone.
DCMS liaises with the Welsh Government on matters relating to digital inclusion as a part of the British-Irish Council format. This includes regular sharing of best practice, evidence and updates on progress on digital inclusion, as well as working together to organise regular digital inclusion ministerial summits.
We understand that access to broadband, mobile and landline services can be a challenge for low income households, particularly at the current time. DCMS has negotiated a range of high-quality, low-cost social tariffs for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means tested benefits, including Pension Credit. These are available in 99% of the UK.
We also recognise that some older people are hesitant to access online services because they fear that they may become victims of fraud, or that it is an unsafe environment for their personal data. For this reason, we are taking a number of steps to improve the safety and trustworthiness of the online space, including:
Increasing online safety by introducing the Online Safety Bill to Parliament, which sets new rules for firms which host user-generated content, and focuses on protecting people from online scams.
Enabling the widespread use of secure and accessible digital identity solutions that meet the needs of all those who wish to use them, by setting standards, establishing governance, removing legislative blockers, and engaging with industry and civil society groups.
Charities such as AgeUK and AbilityNet also play an important role in providing support with technology and the internet through guides, training courses and volunteers to help people make the most of the internet.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has taken recent steps to help encourage older people to (a) get an email address and (b) start using the internet in (i) Newport West constituency and (ii) Wales.
Answered by Paul Scully
Digital inclusion is a devolved policy area, and as such most relevant initiatives are undertaken by the Welsh Government. However the government is focused on building a world-leading digital economy that works for everyone.
DCMS liaises with the Welsh Government on matters relating to digital inclusion as a part of the British-Irish Council format. This includes regular sharing of best practice, evidence and updates on progress on digital inclusion, as well as working together to organise regular digital inclusion ministerial summits.
We understand that access to broadband, mobile and landline services can be a challenge for low income households, particularly at the current time. DCMS has negotiated a range of high-quality, low-cost social tariffs for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means tested benefits, including Pension Credit. These are available in 99% of the UK.
We also recognise that some older people are hesitant to access online services because they fear that they may become victims of fraud, or that it is an unsafe environment for their personal data. For this reason, we are taking a number of steps to improve the safety and trustworthiness of the online space, including:
Increasing online safety by introducing the Online Safety Bill to Parliament, which sets new rules for firms which host user-generated content, and focuses on protecting people from online scams.
Enabling the widespread use of secure and accessible digital identity solutions that meet the needs of all those who wish to use them, by setting standards, establishing governance, removing legislative blockers, and engaging with industry and civil society groups.
Charities such as AgeUK and AbilityNet also play an important role in providing support with technology and the internet through guides, training courses and volunteers to help people make the most of the internet.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to help increase protections against online scams.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Tackling fraud requires a unified and co-ordinated response from government, law enforcement and the private sector to better protect the public and businesses from fraud, reduce the impact of fraud on victims, and increase the disruption and prosecution of fraudsters. We will publish a strategy setting out how we will do this shortly.
Fraud has been brought into scope of the Online Safety Bill to make tech firms responsible for protecting their customers from fraud. DCMS is also leading work on the Online Advertising Programme, which is considering further regulation of online advertising and examining all harms related to online advertising, including fraud.
We are intending to launch a tech sector charter that will examine more ways Government and industry can collaborate and put in place further innovative solutions to protect the public from losing their hard-earned money.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) financial regulators and (b) the Financial Conduct Authority are equipped to protect people against financial scams.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime. Tackling fraud requires a unified and co-ordinated response from government, regulators, law enforcement and the private sector to better protect the public and businesses from fraud.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires regulated financial services firms to maintain effective systems and controls to prevent the risk that they might be used to further financial crime. This includes controls to prevent fraud.
HM Treasury is taking action through legislation in the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which enables the Payment Systems Regulator to mandate banks to reimburse victims of authorised push payment scams. The Government expects that this legislation will result in more consistent and comprehensive reimbursement outcomes, ensuring victims are not left out of pocket through no fault of their own.
Fraud prevention is supported by wider work of the Payment Systems Regulator, including introducing Confirmation of Payee requirements on the banking sector. This allows customers to check whether the name of a payee’s account matches the name and account details provided by a payer.
The Government is also taking action to address fraudulent activity being hosted online through the Online Safety Bill. The Bill includes a new standalone duty requiring large internet firms to tackle fraudulent advertising, including of financial services.
In addition, the Home Office shortly intends to publish a new strategy to address the threat of fraud, working with government, regulators, law enforcement and the private sector.