The UK has announced it will join forces with 11 Big Tech companies to crack down on online fraud.
The Online Fraud Charter will be signed by Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Match Group, Microsoft, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
The agreement will see these companies pledging to implement measures to tackle the rise in online scams, fake advertising and “romance fraud” within six months. These include increasing verification of peer-to-peer marketplaces, new advertisers and users of online dating services, as well as ensuring that fraudulent content is promptly removed.
The charter will be signed in a meeting hosted by James Cleverly, the home secretary, at Lancaster House in London.
“The Online Fraud Charter is a big step forward in our efforts to protect the public from sophisticated, adaptable and highly organised criminals,” Cleverly said. “An agreement of this kind has never been done on this scale before and I am exceptionally pleased to see tech firms working with us to turn the tide against fraudsters.
“Our work does not end here – I will continue to ensure we collaborate across government, and with law enforcement and the private sector, to ensure everyone in the UK is better protected from fraud.”
The charter’s signatories are also expected to agree to work more closely with law enforcement agencies to prevent the spread of these scams by reporting suspicious activity, helping to identify those responsible and removing the content.
“Fraud is now the most common crime in the UK, with online scammers targeting the most vulnerable in society,” said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “By joining forces with these tech giants, we will continue to crack down on fraudsters, making sure they have nowhere to hide online.”
Government figures state that fraud accounts for about 40 per cent of all crime in England, with almost 80 per cent of authorised pushed payment fraud originating from social media or fake websites.
The UK has also recently launched a Fraud Strategy and deployed a £400m National Fraud Squad.
Source: E&
