Fraud is now the most commonly experienced crime in the UK, costing over a hundred billion pounds every year, with online fraud making up an increasing proportion of incidents.
The way fraud is committed is changing and dynamic. The pandemic changed the landscape as organisations accelerated the shift to digital operations, and the fraudsters followed suit.
Over the last six months techUK has been working with our members and the Government on a new Online Fraud Charter to update how the UK responds to online fraud in an effort to prevent crime and reduce the number of businesses and consumers who fall victim to fraud.
This has culminated in the signing of a world first Online Fraud Charter. The Charter is a world first initiative setting out commitments from techUK members including: Amazon, eBay, Google, Linkedin, Match Group, Meta, Tiktok and X, that was developed in collaboration with the Home Office and No.10 Downing Street.
As well as clamping down on scam posts, the signatories have also committed to work more closely with law enforcement in their efforts to target fraudsters. This will mean direct routes for law enforcement to report suspicious activity, making it easier to quickly identify and remove fraudulent content and protect users.
Members have also agreed to continue expanding measures to help protect people from fraud and scam content when using their sites. Actions include verifying new advertisers, blocking fraudulent material and horizon scanning on evolving fraud threats.
The Charter also focuses on increasing levels of verification on peer-to-peer marketplaces, as well as people using online dating services having the opportunity to prove they are who they say they are.
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