SUMMARY
- ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ is a new National Campaign Against Fraud.
- The anti-fraud messaging is backed by organisations across law enforcement, tech, banking, telecoms and the third sector to help raise public awareness on fraud safety advice.
- The website www.gov.uk/stopthinkfraud has been launched alongside the campaign to be a trusted source of information and guidance on how to protect yourself from fraud. Concise, vital guidance will help everyone spot fraud, stay safe and know what to do if targeted.
- Fraud accounts for approximately 38% of all crime in England and Wales and has more than doubled in Scotland over the past nine years. Reports also spiked in Northern Ireland during the pandemic, with a decline now being observed. The total cost to society of fraud against individuals in England and Wales was estimated to be at least £6.8 billion in 2019-20.
- The campaign will empower the public to protect themselves against fraud. It streamlines anti-fraud communications and make it easier for the public to recognise fraud and take steps to protect themselves, their families and their friends.
WHAT IS THE FRAUD STRATEGY?
- The Home Office’s Fraud Strategy was launched in May 2023 and can be read here: Fraud Strategy - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- The strategy sets out an ambitious plan for how government, law enforcement, regulators, industry, and charities will work together to tackle fraud.
- Since the Fraud Strategy was launched, the last two sets of crime data have shown a 13% reduction in fraud, which is a sustained reduction.
- The launch of ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ is a significant milestone in the Home Office’s delivery of the Fraud Strategy, published in May 2023.
- Key strategy pledges already fulfilled include the agreement of the world’s first charter to tackle online fraud and the passing of the Online Safety Act, the rollout of the National Fraud Squad and the appointment of a government Anti-Fraud Champion, a post occupied by Simon Fell MP.
- We have backed this up with £100m investment in law enforcement, including the launch of the new National Fraud Squad, to help catch more fraudsters including some of the most pernicious criminals who have, for too long, felt they can get away with fraud without risk.
WHAT NEXT?
- Fraud is an international crime which does not recognise borders, so it is vital that every country sees they have a part to play in tackling it. In March, the UK is hosting a Global Fraud Summit where key partners from governments, industry and law enforcement will come together to lead a coordinated approach to fighting global fraud.
- We are tackling telecommunication enabled fraud with the Criminal Justice Bill. The Bill introduces a new offence of supplying or possessing SIM farms, devices that allow criminals to send thousands of scam texts at once, without good reason or adequate due diligence.
- A Failure to Prevent Fraud offence is being introduced across the UK through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act. The offence will apply to certain large, incorporated organisations, who will be held to account if they profit from fraud committed by their employees, or other associated persons providing services on their behalf.
- We will not be stopping the acceleration of our law enforcement response. Over the next year we will be fully replacing the Action Fraud reporting system as well as recruiting 100 more investigators for the National Fraud Squad.