With fraud the most common crime in the UK, Dr Neil Hudson is raising awareness amongst his constituents about the implications of online scams and fake adverts during this hectic Christmas shopping season.
Around 40% of all crime in England and Wales is fraud. During 2022, UK Finance cited 117,000 reported fraud cases associated with online shopping - totalling losses of £67 million.
Dr Neil Hudson MP said:
"This is one of the busiest times of the year for online shopping, and with the heightened pressures of Christmas, unfortunately this is also one of the busiest times of the year for fraudsters.
"Please do follow Get Safe Online's advice this Christmas shopping season so you can fully enjoy this wonderful time of year. Unfortunately the most vulnerable in society are often the ones targeted so as well as taking steps to ensure you are not the victim of fraud, do check in on friends and loved ones who might also benefit from this advice.
"Nationally our Conservative Government is starting to bring fraud cases down for the first time ever and has gone further by working with leading tech companies to introduce new actions to counteract fraudulent content from the internet."
Locally the Conservative Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in Cumbria has partnered with Get Safe Online, to provide simple advice to avoid becoming a victim of fraud. Tips include:
- Not paying for items by transferring money directly to individuals' or businesses' bank accounts as banks may not be able to recover the funds.
- Paying by credit card if you are able.
- Make sure websites are authentic with Get Safe Online's Check a Website tool here: www.getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite
- Don’t click on links in emails, texts or posts that you’re not expecting, and don’t open unexpected email attachments.
- Log out of the web page or app when payment is completed. Simply closing it may not log you out automatically.
You can read more comprehensive advice here: www.getsafeonline.org
At a national level the Conservative UK Government has joined forces with leading tech companies – Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Match Group, Microsoft, Snapchat, TikTok, X (Twitter) and YouTube – to develop and commit to the Online Fraud Charter, the first agreement of its kind in the world.
This charter pledges additional action to block and remove fraudulent content from their sites. Actions include verifying new advertisers and promptly removing any fraudulent content. There will also be increased levels of verification on peer-to-peer marketplaces, and people using online dating services will have the opportunity to prove they are who they say they are.
The charter will be supported by tough action to crack down on illegal adverts and ads for age-restricted products, such as alcohol or gambling, being seen by children. An action plan, agreed by the Online Advertising Taskforce, will be published today, setting out steps industry and government are taking to tackle harms and increase protections for children. This includes developing a base of evidence, improving information sharing and promoting industry best practice.
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said:
"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 £400 million.
"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."
