Fraud to be made a priority offence as part of the Online Safety Bill

The Government’s Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries has announced that fraud will be made a priority offence as part of the Online Safety Bill.

Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said” This government said it would legislate to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online while enshrining free speech, and that’s exactly what we are going to do. Our world leading bill will protect children from online abuse and harms, protecting the most vulnerable from accessing harmful content, and ensuring there is no safe space for terrorists to hide online.”

“We are listening to MPs, charities and campaigners who have wanted us to strengthen the legislation, and today’s changes mean we will be able to bring the full weight of the law against those who use the internet as a weapon to ruin people’s lives and do so quicker and more effectively.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel said “The internet cannot be a safe haven for despicable criminals to exploit and abuse people online. Companies must continue to take responsibility for stopping harmful material on their platforms. These new measures will make it easier and quicker to crack down on offenders and hold social media companies to account.”

Cifas CEO, Mike Haley, said “For far too long, fraud perpetrated on online platforms hasn’t been sufficiently dealt with by tech companies. Weak defences on some platforms make them hunting grounds for fraudsters attempting to trick members of the public into parting with their money or personal details.”

“Cifas therefore welcomes the decision to make fraud a priority offence within the Online Safety Bill. Four in five identity fraud cases recorded to the National Fraud Database are committed via online channels and so it’s vital that policy reflects this serious risk to the public.”

“By making fraud a priority offence, we hope to see swift action being taken by platforms to protect victims and deter criminality. We wish to see this action coupled with greater resource being made available to police to fight the fraud threat. The current tsunami of scams targeting the public is a result of years of under-prioritisation of fraud, and so co-ordinated activity across organisations and sectors will be required to stem this tide.”