The Home Office has brought out the Online Fraud Charter. It’s a voluntary agreement between the UK Government and the technology sector against fraud on their platforms and services.
Those signing up include Microsoft and Google, Amazon and ebay, TikTok and Snap Inc, Facebook and LinkedIn, X (the platform formerly Twitter) and the industry association techUK; to cover social media, online dating services and online marketplaces. The document acknowledges that online platforms and services are increasingly being exploited by criminals for the purposes of fraud and money laundering; and that fraud accounts for around 40 per cent of all crime in England and Wales.
The charter covers several measures, first blocking of ‘fraudulent material’; to complement the regulator Ofcom’s forthcoming consultation on the Online Safety Act’s illegal harms code of conduct where relevant. Then a way for reporting of such material, ‘a simple mechanism to report fraudulent content generated by users, which can be accessed within two clicks’. Action against fraudulent content and its users includes taking it down, and ‘appropriate and timely enforcement action against users suspected of posting, sending or sharing fraudulent content’. Protection from fraudulent adverts includes ‘a simple fraud reporting mechanism on advertising services’.
As for law enforcement, it pledges to ‘streamline and prioritise requests to industry’ while industry for its part will ‘prioritise and respond to law enforcement requests detailing criminal users or content as soon as possible’. For the quick sharing of information about such frauds, UK Government promises ‘scoping how regulation and guidance can facilitate greater information sharing, and where needed processes and infrastructure’, and the UK official NCSC and the data protection regulator the ICO will take part in a sector-wide ‘gap analysis’.
Also covered by the charter are info about fraud risks on platforms; and toolkits, ‘simple messaging’ and an upcoming Government marketing campaign against such fraud. Those signed up will take part in ‘horizon scanning exercises to stay ahead of the threat’. The Home Office’s Joint Fraud Taskforce (JFT), chaired by the Minister for Security (Tom Tugendhat), will hold companies to account for delivering the actions, the document adds. It points out that meeting the charter ‘will not automatically equate to compliance with fraud-related duties under the Online Safety Act‘. Ofcom’s Codes of Practice, still to be worked out, and ‘regulatory requirements’ will take precedence, according to the document.
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said that fraud is now the most common crime in the UK, with online scammers targeting the most vulnerable in society. “We have already taken action to go after these unscrupulous criminals, launching our Fraud Strategy and deploying a National Fraud Squad made up of 400 dedicated officers, all backed by £400m.
“For the first time, we are beginning to see a drop in fraud cases, but we must do more. By joining forces with these tech giants we will continue to crack down on fraudsters, making sure they have nowhere to hide online.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly described the agreement with the big tech firms likewise in glowing terms as ‘a big step forward in our efforts to protect the public from sophisticated, adaptable and highly organised criminals’.
Comments
Temporary Assistant Commissioner Nik Adams, for City of London Police, the national lead police force for fraud, welcomed the charter. “In particular, we welcome the news that there will be measures put in place to help protect people from romance fraud, by allowing users to see verified accounts and know if the person they are talking to is genuine. There will also be the implementation of guidance which will help the public stay safe when buying and selling online.
“The implementation of liaison officers who will respond to law enforcement requests is also a positive step, as engaging in public private partnership will help the whole system to tackle online fraud.”
Gadi Mazor, CEO,BioCatch, said: “Our customers and independent research suggest that over 70 per cent of all fraud originates from social media scams. The Online Fraud Charter announced earlier this week and adopted by the most popular social media and e-commerce platforms is critical as fake social media profiles are rarely innocent pranksters; they are often scammers looking to steal their victims’ money or identities–or even turn them into unwitting money mules to help fund criminal their enterprises.
“As we approach the holiday season, people will be even more active on their social media accounts, and fraudsters will be targeting them relentlessly. Technology companies must take more responsibility, as the more than 150 retail banks we work with have, to protect their customers from fraud. This regulation is indeed a step in the right direction and is a signal that we in the industry, technology firms, the government, and everyday consumers are in this together—and together is the only way to fight fraud.”
