Matthew Barber welcomes crackdown on fraudsters that has cut fraud by 11.4 per cent in Thames Valley
During the Covid pandemic fraud and online crime rose as criminals continued to use more sophisticated ways to scam hardworking people across the UK.
That is why Matthew Barber welcomes the Government’s new anti-fraud campaign, taking tough action to crack down on fraud. This campaign builds on the Conservative Government’s long-term plan to tackle fraud that cut fraud and computer misuse by 11.4 per cent in Thames Valley last year.
The Government’s long-term plan to cut fraud is working, securing a safer, brighter future for the whole country.
Matthew Barber, Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner, welcomes the Government’s new long-term ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ campaign, delivering tough new anti-fraud messaging, raising public awareness on fraud safety advice in partnership with law enforcement, tech, banking, telecoms and third sector organisations.
This new campaign builds on the Conservative Government’s long-term Fraud Strategy set out by the Home Office in May 2023, committing to 52 ambitious actions to cut fraud by ten per cent by the end of this Parliament. Thanks to this Conservative Government’s long-term plan, fraud and computer misuse has fallen by 13 per cent in the last year according to the latest data from the Crime Survey of England and Wales.
Official data shows that the number of fraud and computer misuse incidents in Thames Valley had fallen from 14,526 incidents to 12,869 incidents in the last year, a drop of 11.4 per cent, showing the Conservative Government’s long-term plan to stop fraud is working.
Since 2019, the Conservative Government has implemented a whole range of long-term reforms to tackle fraud by creating new national fraud squad with over 400 new investigators, banning SIM farms which are used by criminals to send thousands of scam texts and stopping cold calls for financial products so people cannot be duped by scammers.
The Conservative Government has also signed the world’s first Online Fraud Charter, delivering tough long-term action against fraud in partnership with 12 leading tech companies including Amazon, Facebook, Google and X (formerly Twitter).
Commenting, Matthew Barber said:
“Fraud is an awful blight on our society and can ruin lives so I welcome news that the Conservative Government’s crackdown on fraud has cut fraud referrals by 11.4% in Thames Valley.
“The Conservative Government’s new ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ campaign will build on this excellent progress, raising public awareness on fraud safety and building on the Conservative long-term Fraud Strategy announced last year.
“This news shows the Conservative Government’s long-term plan to tackle fraud is working while Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party would just take us back to square one.”
Commenting, the Home Secretary, James Cleverly, said:
“Our bold Fraud Strategy is continuing to deliver for the British people.
“This new campaign is a powerful tool to add to our arsenal, which already includes a world-first agreement from tech firms to prevent online fraud and the rollout of a National Fraud Squad that has 400 expert investigators.
“I encourage everyone to stop, take a moment to think about fraud, and share this messaging far and wide.”
Commenting, Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat, said:
“Fraud ruins lives. Following this advice will give people the best tips to stop fraudsters from stealing their hard-earned cash, and point them towards all the help and information on offer.
“Our Fraud Strategy is successfully turning the tide against fraudsters. This new campaign will share the details we all need to defend ourselves and our friends.”
