The public and businesses will receive fresh protections from the
UK's most commonly experienced crime, the Fraud Minister will announce today as he sets
out plans to publish a new, expanded fraud strategy as part of
the government's Plan for Change.
The minister will detail the work underway on the new strategy,
which includes proposals on working with private industry and
further international co-operation, in his keynote address to the
Global Anti-Scams Alliance (GASA) summit. The summit takes place
today and tomorrow (Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 March) at the
Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London.
The minister will say that, with the latest ONS figures finding
that fraud reports increased last year by 19%, a ‘robust
response' is required to every aspect of the fraud threat. And
with estimates finding that 70% of fraud now includes an
international element, global co-operation will be key to
tackling this growing issue.
A key focus of the strategy will be combatting tech-enabled
fraud, including emerging tech such as AI. The minister will
state that getting a grip on these threats will be central to the
new strategy.
But will also re-emphasise the
government's commitment to harnessing the power of developing
technologies, including AI, to help tackle crime and reduce the
amount of time that the police and prosecutors need to spend
completing paperwork rather than delivering justice. This is a
key objective of the recently published Independent Review of
Disclosure and Fraud Offences.
As part of his keynote address, will also announce plans for a
Global Fraud Summit supported by the UK. The summit will be
hosted by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and INTERPOL
in Vienna in early 2026 and will bring together dozens of
governments from across the world to transform the global
response to fraud.
With fraud and cyber crime making up 50% of all online crime in
the UK, the Fraud Minister will reveal that he has instructed
officials to accelerate the development of data-sharing measures
to protect the public and businesses. This work, will say, will take place in
collaboration with law enforcement and industry to “stop, block
and disrupt” online harms both domestically and internationally.
The announcements also follow the second meeting of the Joint
Fraud Taskforce since the new government took office and the
first since the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Mansion House
speech. Together with the Home Secretary and the Secretary of
State for Science, Innovation and Technology, the chancellor
urged tech and telco companies to go further and faster to tackle
fraud.
Fraud Minister said:
Fraud is an increasingly international enterprise run by some of
the most appalling criminal gangs operating in the world today.
That's why we are determined to work with global partners to
build a united front to tackle these criminal networks head-on,
wherever they are based.
It's also why I'm pleased to announce a new Global Fraud Summit
to be held in early 2026 and that work is ongoing to develop a
new, expanded fraud strategy with international co-operation at
its heart, as part of this government's Plan for Change.
Fraud has changed and so too must our response.
UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly said:
Organised fraud is growing increasingly sophisticated and
transnational, requiring stronger collaboration across borders
and agencies.
I welcome the UK's leadership in driving efforts to combat
organised fraud and I'm proud that the UN's Office on Drugs and
Crime is partnering with INTERPOL to co-organise the Global Fraud
Summit 2026 in Vienna.
This is an important opportunity to sharpen our collective
response and develop innovative solutions to protect communities
from this pervasive crime.
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said:
Advances in technology, such as AI, have seen online fraud and
scams grow in complexity and scale, posing a threat to
individuals and organisations alike.
A unified response is essential, and these summits are an
opportunity to bring the various sectors together.
We look forward to working with the UK, the UNODC and other
partners to build a more effective global response.
