Major campaign to fight fraud launched by Government

Fraud accounts for circa 40% of all crime in England and Wales, with an estimated 3.2 million offences perpetrated each year. The latest data from the Crime Survey of England and Wales shows that episodes of fraud have actually reduced by 13% over the past year. However, the estimated cost of fraud to society is a massive £6.8 billion in England and Wales.

Fraud has also more than doubled in scope in Scotland over the past none years, while reports of fraud episodes spiked in Northern Ireland during the pandemic, with a decline now being observed.

The evidence-led ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ campaign draws on the expertise of leading counter-fraud experts and includes an online fraud hub, which will provide concise and simple-to-follow advice. It will also signpost victims to relevant organisations for further advice and support.

Impactful adverts will also be prominently displayed in public settings, from billboards to radio, and from TV screens to social media. It’s boldly anticipated the campaign will be seen by 95% of adults in the UK over the coming weeks.

Continuing to deliver

Home Secretary James Cleverly (pictured) explained: “Our bold National Fraud Strategy is continuing to deliver for the British people. This new campaign is a powerful tool to add to our arsenal, which already includes a world-first agreement from tech firms to prevent online fraud and the roll-out of a National Fraud Squad that’s underpinned by 400 expert investigators. I encourage everyone to stop, take a moment to think about fraud and share this messaging far and wide.”

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat affirmed: “Fraud ruins lives. Following this advice will give people the best tips to stop fraudsters from stealing their hard-earned cash and point them towards all the help and information on offer.”

Tugendhat added: “Our National Fraud Strategy is successfully turning the tide against the fraudsters. This new campaign will share the details we all need to defend ourselves and our friends and colleagues.”

‘Stop! Think Fraud’ is a significant step forward in terms of fighting the most prolific crime type in the UK and delivers on the National Fraud Strategy’s commitment to release a public awareness campaign.

It has been created to empower a mass audience, with a new website providing vital guidance on how to spot fraud, stay safe and what to do if targeted. The web address will be www.gov.uk/stopthinkfraud

The campaign enjoys far-reaching support among the tech, financial and retail sectors, as well as law enforcement, victim care agencies and consumer groups. Supporting agencies have pledged to prominently display the ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ advice and share it among their stakeholders.

They will also update pre-existing fraud advice they’ve shared in public places and replace it with the ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ messaging and branding. This one clear set of advice will remove confusion, which was a risk with so many different campaigns previously existing in the same space.

Improved understanding

Temporary Commissioner Pete O’Doherty from the City of London Police informed Security Matters: “As the national lead force for fraud, we wholeheartedly support ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ and hope it will raise a much greater understanding of what fraud is and how to avoid it.”

He continued: “Fraud accounts for around 40% of all crime in the UK, so it’s vitally important to reach all corners of the country with this campaign nd help protect everyone from the devastating financial and emotional impacts of fraud.

Alongside this campaign, we will continue to deliver on the National Fraud Strategy set by Government and launch the replacement service for Action Fraud later on this year.”

Nick Sharp, deputy director for fraud at the National Crime Agency, observed: “Fraud is the most prevalent crime in the UK, impacting on millions of victims both financially and emotionally. It’s a priority for the National Crime Agency to reduce the harm that fraud causes. We’ve been working closely across a range of sectors to ensure messages that help to empower people to protect themselves are based on the collective knowledge of the law enforcement community.”

Sharp also stated: “The ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ campaign is a major milestone that will build awareness of how to be better protected from becoming a victim, and also how best to prevent and report fraud.”

Felicity Oswald, chief operating officer at the National Cyber Security Centre, commented: “Prioritising basic security measures, such as enabling two-step verification for primary e-mail accounts, is crucial for protection against online fraud and what are increasingly sophisticated scams. Following the advice from ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ will assist in significantly reducing the risk of someone becoming a victim of the fraudsters.”

Fraud Strategy

The launch of ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ is a significant milestone in the Home Office’s delivery of the Fraud Strategy, which was published in May 2023. Key strategy pledges already fulfilled include the agreement of the world’s first Charter to prevent online fraud, the subsequent roll-out of the National Fraud Squad and the appointment of a Government anti-fraud champion, with that post presently occupied by Simon Fell MP.

Another strategy commitment will be delivered next month, when the Home Secretary welcomes interior ministers from international partners to London for the first-ever Global Fraud Summit.

Representatives from Interpol, the EU Commission and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime will also be present, alongside some of the biggest companies and consumer groups in the world.

Wayne Stevens, national fraud lead at the charity Victim Support, noted: “Fraud is a devastating form of crime. It’s essential that members of the public have access to reliable and up-to-date information about how to protect themselves. We urge everyone to take a look at this new guidance.”

Stevens added: “Sadly, there is still a lot of shame and stigma around fraud. For those who are targeted, this stigma makes the experience even worse and often prevents them from seeking help. We want everyone to understand that, if they are the victim of a fraud, it’s never their fault. We are available 24/7 to provide independent support that’s free of charge.”

New technologies

Marc Allera, CEO of BT Group’s Consumer Division, explained: “As an industry and as network operators, we have a responsibility to our customers to do all we can in helping them spot and stop scams. We’re fully behind the Government’s new campaign against fraud.”

Allera continued: “We’re constantly investing in and deploying new technologies to prevent fraud taking place across the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure. We know that partnerships across Government, industry and law enforcement are critical for tackling this issue. The new campaign is a great example of that collaboration in action and provides clear and simple guidance everyone can follow to help protect themselves from the fraudsters.”

Matt Hepburn, fraud spokesperson for TSB, stated: “Fraudsters continue to bombard the public with fake texts, calls and scam content online so it’s vital that we all remain alert to the threat. The Home Office campaign is a powerful way of reminding millions of consumers to be wary of scams that reach us online, via social media or through smart phones.”

The Home Office is working with the following stakeholders on the campaign:

Barclays, the British Retail Consortium, BT, Citizens Advice, the City of London Police, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Financial Conduct Authority, Google, Gumtree, Halifax Bank of Scotland, HSBC, iD Mobile, LBG, Match Group (the parent company of Tinder, Hinge, Match, OurTime, Even and Plenty of Fish), Media Smart (a subsidiary company of the Advertising Association), Meta, Mobile UK, the National Crime Agency, National Trading Standards and the National Cyber Security Centre.

Other stakeholders engaged include The Pensions Regulator, Royal Mail, Santander, Stop Scams UK, TalkTalk, TechUK, the Telecommunications UK Forum, TikTok, TSB, UK Finance, Victim Support, Virgin Media O2 and X (formerly Twitter, of course).