Cifas responds to the inclusion of fraud in the Online Safety Bill

Responding to the news of the inclusion of fraud in the forthcoming Online Safety Bill, Mike Haley, Chief Executive at Cifas, said:

‘The inclusion of user-generated fraud in the Online Safety Bill is a welcome step forward in protecting the UK public and the business community from one of the most prevalent online harms. However, more needs to be done to tackle other aspects of fraud perpetrated online.

‘The Bill places responsibility on platforms with regards to user-generated content, but excludes other types of online fraud. I look forward to the release of the Home Office Fraud Action Plan and how this will address fraud currently excluded from the Online Safety Bill, such as through advertising, emails and cloned websites.

‘Fraud in the UK has reached epidemic levels and recent research commissioned by Cifas and RUSI has highlighted the strong link between fraud and other high harm crimes such as people and drug trafficking, and terrorist financing. We need to act fast to disrupt criminal operations and ensure that online platforms are taking the appropriate steps to do so.

‘I would like to congratulate everyone who has worked tirelessly over the last two years to ensure that this important change was included in the Online Safety Bill. We at Cifas are keen to engage with any organisation looking to tackle other types of online fraud currently excluded from this Bill. ’

Notes to editors

About Cifas

Cifas is the UK’s fraud prevention service. We lead the fight against fraud by sharing data, intelligence and learning. The organisations that collaborate with us are drawn from all sectors, operating in both the public and private sectors working together to stop fraud. A full list of our members can be found on our website.

Organisations that work with Cifas, contribute to and benefit from the UK’s largest databases of fraud risk data and intelligence. We are committed to the principle of collaboration, which connects and drives our community, and enables the sharing of:

Data
We enable the secure sharing of high quality, trusted data to fight fraud. Our databases are the most comprehensive and diverse sources of fraud risk data in the UK.

Intelligence
We provide research and dynamic intelligence that influences the threat picture and strengthens the response against fraud.

Learning
We are a leading provider of accredited education and trusted training.

Contact us at press@cifas.org.uk