• The new Fraud Strategy sets out how the government will dismantle overseas scam compounds
  • Police, intelligence agencies, banks, mobile networks and tech giants will collaborate in a new Online Crime Centre
  • National standards will be established to support victims of fraud, and targeted support rolled out at fraud hotspots across the country.

Launching operations in April, the new Online Crime Centre will bring together specialists from the government, police, intelligence agencies, banks, mobile networks and major tech firms to drive coordinated action against fraud.

It forms part of a new and expanded Fraud Strategy, which sets out how the government will disrupt fraudsters and protect the public - with £250 million invested over the next three years. Police and companies that hold vital intelligence on scams will work side-by-side, sharing data and building a single picture of global fraud networks.

Backed by £30 million in funding, the Centre will identify the accounts, websites and phone numbers that organised crime groups rely on, and shut them down at scale - blocking scam texts, freezing criminal accounts, removing scam social media accounts and disrupting operations at source. It will go after the highest harm offenders, who are responsible for directing international operations to steal from hard working Brits.

The Strategy comes as one in fourteen adults, and one in four businesses, have become a victim of fraud, costing the economy over £14 billion a year. It sets out how the government will shut down the tools criminals exploit, shore up the UK’s defences, and boost support for victims.

James Babbage, Director General (Threats) at the National Crime Agency said: 

“Over the last three years, the National Crime Agency has been building a stronger response to fraud. However, the threat will continue to grow globally, and the launch of the Fraud Strategy provides the basis for a further step change in our collective work to protect the UK public from these criminals. 

“We have worked intensively with partners to pilot a range of new approaches to fraud and cyber crime: sharing data, stopping and blocking more online crime at source, and helping to design out vulnerabilities through more resilient industry processes. We are looking forward to working with partners across the public and private sectors as part of the new Online Crime Centre to continue this."

Pete O’Doherty, City of London Police Commissioner and National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Cyber and Economic Crime, said: 

“We are transforming the national policing response to fraud and cyber crime with an inspection regime, working with HMICFRS, that ensures every police force is making fraud a priority, but we need the wider industry collaboration set out in this new strategy to stop criminals.  

“We are embedding Report Fraud and building the best crime intelligence law enforcement has ever seen, which will feed the Online Crime Centre – providing crucial data to disrupt fraud and cyber crime, and shaping our messaging to the public and businesses being ruthlessly targeted.” 

A new fraud Victims Charter will set out response times, minimum standards of care and consistent advice on reimbursement and recovery, to ensure the public receive the same service no matter where they live. A dedicated network of police ‘PROTECT’ officers – charged with helping those most vulnerable to fraud – will ramp up targeted support in fraud hotspots across the country. Using data from the new Report Fraud service, police will spearhead a campaign of targeted prevention – from doorstep advice to installing call-blocking devices in vulnerable homes and businesses – to ensure those at heightened risk are protected.

Fraudsters will also face swifter justice and tougher financial penalties under reforms being considered as part of the Strategy to speed up court processes and strengthen the use of civil powers.

The Online Crime Centre will join up with the National Police Service, as they take over responsibility for leading the national fight against fraud – creating a stronger, single frontline with the power to drive response at scale.