Direct Selling: Fraud

(asked on 11th June 2021) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect consumers from scams, fraud, and rogue trading on the doorsteps of private homes.


Answered by
Kevin Foster Portrait
Kevin Foster
This question was answered on 21st June 2021

Fraudsters are sophisticated and will exploit any vulnerabilities they can, especially as more of us find ourselves at home and online.

The Government recognises the serious risks presented by scams and fraud and the huge financial and emotional impact they can have on victims. We are working collaboratively with law enforcement and the private sector to reaffirm messages to consumers setting out how they can protect themselves from fraud, scams, and rogue traders.

We know one of the best ways to deal with these crimes is for consumers to be well-informed on how to protect themselves. This is why we published guidance on how to spot potential frauds and the steps to take to avoid them. This advice can be accessed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime.

Alongside this, consumers can also keep abreast of scam and fraud trends through alerts provided by Action Fraud, the national reporting service for fraud and cybercrime, via their website:

www.actionfraud.police.uk/news

Further details can be found through the ScamSmart campaign run by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) at:

https://www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart.

We continue to encourage anyone who has been a targeted by fraud to report it. Action Fraud can be contacted by phone on 0300 123 2040 or through their website:

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime.

This information is being used by the City of London Police alongside crime reports to identify, disrupt and stop fraudsters. Any contact with rogue traders should also be reported to Trading Standards at

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/report-to-trading-standards/

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