Governments from around the world have urged telecommunications companies and technology platforms to step up efforts to combat fraud operating across their networks and services.
The appeal came during the inaugural Global Fraud Summit, held this week at Lancaster House in London. Ministers and senior representatives attended from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
UK Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “Fraudsters have no regard for boundaries; they devastate citizens in all our countries. We will only stop this scourge if we confront it directly and together, and that is precisely what we intend to do.”
The summit was supported by international organisations including Interpol, the Financial Action Task Force, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, with the European Union also represented.
A communique issued at the summit noted: “Fraud against individuals and businesses has grown rapidly to become one of the most prevalent crimes globally and is an organised transnational threat.” It warned that fraudsters are operating at scale, exploiting telecommunications networks, cyberspace, and a population that increasingly spends time online.
A four-part framework endorsed by attending nations focuses on: strengthening international partnerships to tackle fraud, empowering the public to recognise and avoid scams, pursuing transnational organised fraud groups, and preventing criminals from exploiting technology platforms.
On the front of platform and industry responsibility, the communique emphasised: “Technology companies (including social media, e-commerce and online messaging platforms and online advertising services), telecommunications providers and financial institutions (including traditional banks and digital financial institutions) all form part of the ecosystem that fraudsters exploit.”
Governments expect industry to take further steps to strengthen counter-fraud measures and to increase collaboration both within and between sectors.
Specific asks include stronger action from telcos to prevent common scam tactics used to impersonate individuals and businesses via phone calls and text messages, and faster removal of fraudulent content and listings from online platforms.
Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said: “Changes in technology and the rapid increase in the scale and volume of organised crime have created a range of new ways to defraud innocent people, businesses and even governments. Urgent action is required.”
The participating nations committed to improving intelligence sharing among law enforcement, increasing operational activity against fraudsters operating from jurisdictions viewed as threats, and boosting global capacity-building to investigate and prevent fraud.
Empowering the public to recognise and reject fraud tactics was highlighted as a priority, alongside improving victim support and creating pathways for victims to reclaim lost funds where possible.
Antony Walker, Deputy CEO of techUK, said the summit gives technology companies a platform to build on existing efforts and to establish clearer, more consistent cooperation between industry, government, and law enforcement in the fight against online fraud and scams.
“As online fraud evolves, tech companies remain committed to taking measures to counteract it, adapting their approaches to protect users and reduce criminal activity,” he added.
See also: French government cyber crisis teams ‘useless’ against DDoS (original reporting referenced)
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