Online fraud overlooked despite regularity

The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that despite online fraud now being the most commonly experienced crime in England and Wales, it is being overlooked by government, law enforcement and industry.

The department’s report, Online fraud, says that while the landscape for tackling online fraud is complex, the Home Office’s response is not proportionate to the threat. Furthermore, although the face of crime is changing, police forces take different approaches to tackling online fraud, with the NAO discovering that for some it is not a priority.

In addition to this, the report reveals that online fraud is very under-reported, and where data is available, there is a lack of sharing of information between government, industry and law enforcement agencies.

However, the report did say that the Joint Fraud Taskforce, led by Home Office Ministers, is a positive step in fighting online fraud, but admitted that the department faces a challenge in influencing other partners such as banks and law enforcement bodies to take on responsibility for preventing and reducing fraud.

Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “For too long, as a low value but high volume crime, online fraud has been overlooked by government, law enforcement and industry. It is now the most commonly experienced crime in England and Wales and demands an urgent response. While the department is not solely responsible for reducing and preventing online fraud, it is the only body that can oversee the system and lead change. The launch of the Joint Fraud Taskforce in February 2016 was a positive step, but there is still much work to be done. At this stage it is hard to judge that the response to online fraud is proportionate, efficient or effective.”