Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department expects to publish its fraud strategy.

The Home Office will shortly be publishing a new strategy to address the threat of fraud.

This Government is committed to doing everything we can to stop criminals abusing telecommunications networks and online platforms for fraud. That is why in October 2021, we launched the Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter which includes actions to block scam calls and smishing texts. Fraud has also been brought into scope of the Online Safety Bill to make tech firms responsible for protecting their customers from fraud. Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) is also leading work on the Online Advertising Programme, which is considering further regulation of online advertising and examining all harms related to online advertising, including fraud.

We also intend to launch an Online Fraud Sector Charter that will examine more ways Government and industry can collaborate and put in place further innovative solutions to protect the public from losing their hard-earned money.