Which? comments on the latest ONS figures showing incidents of fraud have risen by a third

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: 

"The previous government targeted a significant reduction in fraud but these figures show that the UK’s most common crime has continued to spiral out of control. The lesson for ministers working on the current government’s fraud strategy must be that a tougher approach is needed to tackle weak links currently being exploited by fraudsters. 

"The top priority must be to halt the flood of online scam adverts we all face every day. That means implementing the Online Safety Act in full so that social media and search firms face fines if they don't block fraudsters using paid and unpaid scam ads. 

“It's also vital that the government announces plans for tough regulation of online advertising more widely, to tackle the wave of bogus celebrity-backed investment schemes and other scam adverts that appear on popular websites."

-ENDS-