Campaigners are urging UK police forces to take a far tougher stance on fraudsters, warning that scams have become a “penalty-free crime” amid a surge in reported fraud and high-profile global investigations.
The call to action comes just days after the government announced it is working on an expanded fraud strategy in response to a 19 per cent rise in fraud reports last year, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
The renewed urgency follows the exposure of a $35 million (£27 million) scam call centre operation based in Georgia, revealed earlier this month after a massive data leak obtained by Swedish broadcaster SVT and shared with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and other global media partners. The leaked files contained details of over one million scam phone calls.
Jorij Abraham, managing director of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), said at the group’s London conference: “You can scam and go free. There is hardly any risk. It is easy, low cost and quite rewarding. We are calling on politicians around the globe to give law enforcement more charter – more resources.”
Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at Which?, echoed those concerns, calling for a coordinated response: “Law enforcement has a crucial role to play in stopping the UK’s fraud epidemic and deterring scammers. But we also need stronger action from telecoms firms, banks and online platforms to prevent scams appearing in the first place.”
Concha also stressed the need for regulators to hold companies accountable. “Regulators must be empowered to impose financial penalties when firms fail to implement effective systems to protect consumers,” she said.
At the GASA event, UK fraud minister Lord Hanson unveiled the government’s expanded fraud initiative, pledging to “pursue [criminals] relentlessly and make sure we get outcomes for victims.” He warned that the money lost to scams was “funding other criminal enterprises”.
The scale of the Georgian call centre fraud was significant. Of the estimated £27 million stolen, around a third — £9 million — was taken from UK residents, who made up the largest single group of victims. Of about 2,000 people persuaded to part with significant sums, 652 were British. Some individuals lost more than £100,000 each.
Despite the ongoing investigation by Georgian prosecutors, it remains unclear whether UK law enforcement agencies are providing any support. Both the National Crime Agency and City of London Police — the UK’s lead force on fraud — declined to confirm any involvement when approached by Business Matters.
Campaigners say that unless UK law enforcement and international partners coordinate more effectively, global scam networks will continue to exploit cross-border vulnerabilities — leaving consumers exposed and criminals untouched.
