Which? response to the government's online fraud charter

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

"Online fraud has a devastating financial and emotional impact on victims and has been allowed to run rife in recent years. It's positive that the government is at last progressing its strategy to tackle the problem, but we are concerned that these measures are voluntary and still sector specific. It is vital that the government works quickly to open up more public sources of data to strengthen fraud intelligence and to stop fraudsters jumping across channels attacking consumers.

"The government must also now utilise their central role and facilitate tech giants and financial institutions to share fraud data generated in their environments. It must not only ensure all signatories are held to account but look at the opportunity to bring big tech together with banks, telcos and internet infrastructure providers to create an impenetrable barrier to protect consumers from online organised crime.

"The next government must prioritise the glaring need for regulation in the domains and online advertising sectors or fraudsters will continue to flourish. In the end, consumers will judge the success of this strategy by whether they end up with better fraud prevention, detection, support and redress.”

ENDS