Fraud and the Justice System

Justice Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 2 Dec 2021 Closed: 14 Sep 2023 Parliament page
This short inquiry sought to examine the ability of the Justice System to effectively prosecute fraud cases. The Committee was particularly interested in how the system is set up to tackle lower-level frauds, that are often not serious enough to be considered by the Serious Fraud Office but have a … Read more
20 Recommendations
23 Conclusions
1 Report
5 Letters
4 Events
Recommendations & Conclusions
43 results
1 Conclusion Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Epidemic of fraud is increasing, accelerating during pandemic, with no reversal in sight.
There is currently an epidemic of fraud in England and Wales. The level of fraud has been increasing year on year and this growth accelerated during the pandemic to an unprecedented level. As the country emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, … Read more
Government Response
The government states that tackling fraud is a priority, with the Security Minister providing leadership and oversight, and highlights the successful relaunch of the Joint Fraud Taskforce to combat fraud.
Ministry of Justice
View details
2 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Fraud enforcement and prosecution must adapt to new online technologies.
As the ways in which frauds are being perpetrated change, making increased use of the online sphere and new technologies, the enforcement and prosecution of these crimes also needs to adapt to keep pace with the crimes being conducted.
Government Response
The government focused on victim support rather than adapting enforcement/prosecution, committing to expanding National Economic Crime Victim Care Units (NECVCU) across England and Wales from 2023, with specific force coverage targets by April 2023.
Ministry of Justice
View details
3 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Fraud's growing complexity poorly fits current Minister for Security's portfolio.
Fraud is a growing issue and one which does not sit naturally with the other elements of the Minister for Security and Borders extensive portfolio.
Government Response
The government described Action Fraud's 2022 campaign activities and stated it would set out further details of its approach in an upcoming fraud strategy, rather than addressing the ministerial portfolio.
Ministry of Justice
View details
4 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Dedicated Ministerial portfolio crucial for unified, accountable approach to tackling fraud.
Fraud and other forms of economic crime need to sit within a Ministerial portfolio that allows the postholder to prioritise this increasingly important area of work, and who can draw together parts of government and private sector companies to create … Read more
Government Response
The government deflected the recommendation about ministerial portfolio, committing instead £30 million over three years to upgrade Action Fraud, replacing it in 2024, and launching a new reporting tool and website in 2023.
Ministry of Justice
View details
5 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Prioritise fraud victim support for most vulnerable; train responders to identify needs.
Fraud crimes do not impact victims equally and due to limitations in victim support capacity, efforts to support victims of fraud should be focused on those who need it most. It is therefore vital that responders to these crimes have … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to improving call centre capacity with new suppliers, launching a new reporting tool and website next year, and implementing automated SMS and a chatbot to ease reporting, but did not specify how support would be targeted to the most vulnerable.
Ministry of Justice
View details
6 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Inconsistent fraud victim support across police forces lacks national standards.
Support available for victims of fraud is patchy and inconsistent. Thirty-seven police forces currently work with victim care units. However this is not compulsory and there is currently no national standard for fraud victim care.
Government Response
The government agreed victims need support and allocated £30 million for Action Fraud upgrades, aiming to refresh the service by 2024 with a new reporting tool in 2023, but did not commit to a national standard for victim care or all 43 forces working with units by end of 2023.
Ministry of Justice
View details
7 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Set minimum standard of care for fraud victims across all police forces by 2023.
The Government should set a minimum standard of care that a victim of fraud can expect to receive when reporting a crime and ensure that all 43 police forces in England and Wales are working with victim care units to … Read more
Government Response
The government deflected the recommendation about victim care standards, acknowledging an issue regarding increasing compensation orders in confiscation proceedings and stating it would consider legislative reforms based on a Law Commission review.
Ministry of Justice
View details
8 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Victims experience significant difficulty reporting fraud due to unclear processes.
Many victims of fraud find it difficult to know how to report the crime. It needs to be made much clearer to victims how they can report a crime, as the current lack of clarity brings added distress to the … Read more
Government Response
The government deflected the recommendation about making reporting clearer to victims, explaining existing inter-organisational structures for tackling fraud and stating further details would be included in its upcoming Fraud Strategy.
Ministry of Justice
View details
9 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Increase advertising efforts for Action Fraud to raise public reporting awareness.
The Government should increase efforts in advertising Action Fraud to raise public awareness of how to report incidents of fraud.
Government Response
The government deflected the recommendation to increase Action Fraud advertising, discussing the Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR) and hoping a revised SPR will strengthen fraud capabilities, while also referencing available fraud data.
Ministry of Justice
View details
10 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Implement immediate steps to improve fraud reporting mechanisms and case progression for victims.
Individual police forces do not have the capacity to manage the volume of fraud reports made and so it is vital that there is an effective reporting service that is victim-focused and can deal consistently with reports and progress cases … Read more
Government Response
The government committed £400 million over three years to tackle economic crime, dedicating 725 Police Uplift Programme posts to serious organised crime, and expanding fraud investigation teams across all Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs).
Ministry of Justice
View details
11 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Increased Action Fraud call centre staffing remains insufficient for adequate service.
Although the level of staffing at Action Fraud’s reporting call centre has increased from 75 to 95, this is clearly not sufficient to provide an adequate service to all those reporting a fraud.
Government Response
The government deflected the recommendation about Action Fraud call centre staffing, focusing instead on police professional training and development for fraud investigation, outlining existing training programs and support for the College of Policing.
Ministry of Justice
View details
12 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Action Fraud and successor services require sufficient staffing to support victims effectively.
Sufficient staffing needs to be put in place to ensure Action Fraud and its successor service can provide a high-quality service to victims, keeping them updated on the progress of their case and directing them to appropriate support services where … Read more
Government Response
The government did not commit to specific staffing for Action Fraud or its successor service's victim updates, instead highlighting broader efforts to improve overall court efficiency, recruit judges, and construct new courts, including one expected to focus on economic crime by 2026.
Ministry of Justice
View details
13 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Planned Action Fraud replacement focuses on technology, neglecting victim experience improvements.
We welcome the Government’s plans to replace Action Fraud with a new service in 2024; however, we understand from the Government’s evidence to our inquiry that the planned changes are focused on the technology underpinning the service, primarily improving the … Read more
Government Response
The government's response discussed reforms to the disclosure regime in the criminal justice system and the Attorney General's guidelines, rather than addressing improvements to the customer experience of Action Fraud's replacement service.
Ministry of Justice
View details
14 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Action Fraud's successor must prioritise victim experience with trained support staff.
While we welcome the Government’s commitment to replace Action Fraud with a new service better able to record and disseminate information about a crime, the service also needs to focus on victim experience, ensuring there are trained individuals staffing Action … Read more
Government Response
The government deflected the recommendation, stating that the independent Sentencing Council is responsible for sentencing guidelines and that the report has been shared with them, without addressing staffing or victim support for Action Fraud's successor service.
Ministry of Justice
View details
15 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Introduce legislative changes to allow flexible compensation order value adjustments for victims.
The Government should introduce changes to compensation order legislation to allow for flexibility in altering the order value if a criminal is later found to have assets of greater value which can be used to compensate victims of their crimes. … Read more
Government Response
The government did not commit to specific changes in compensation order legislation but outlined its agreement on a unified response to fraud and stated it will shortly publish a new strategy detailing efforts to stop fraud, empower victims, and prosecute fraudsters.
Ministry of Justice
View details
16 Conclusion Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Preventing fraud should be paramount, alongside maximising asset recovery for victims.
We are wary of placing too great an emphasis on the compensation of victims. We do not want to give criminals carte blanche to commit their crimes just because victims can be reimbursed, since their crimes will continue to have … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed on the importance of further charters and committed to the Home Office launching a tech and online charter with industry next year to drive down fraud and improve collaborative working.
Ministry of Justice
View details
17 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Multiple police command chains for fraud cases create confusion and pass responsibility.
Within policing, there are various chains of command when it comes to tackling fraud cases, with investigations being conducted at a local level but with central bodies, namely the City of London Police and the National Economic Crime Centre, having … Read more
Government Response
The government's response addressed corporate criminal liability and the Online Safety Bill, which are unrelated to the committee's observation about confusion in policing chains of command for fraud cases.
Ministry of Justice
View details
18 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Ensure agreements define fraud responsibilities and support between police forces and central bodies.
The Government should ensure agreements are in place between the City of London Police, the National Economic Crime Centre, and local police forces to outline responsibilities in relation to fraud and also highlight the support available to local forces working … Read more
Government Response
The government's response focused on measures to facilitate data sharing between businesses for preventing economic crime through new legislation, rather than outlining agreements between policing bodies on responsibilities for fraud cases.
Ministry of Justice
View details
19 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Fraud lacks police investigative priority due to absence of performance accountability data.
Fraud is not an investigative priority for police forces, partly because it is not a crime type for which forces are held accountable for their performance. Fraud statistics are not included in local and regional performance data despite most of … Read more
Government Response
The government's response focused on raising public awareness on fraud through a forthcoming strategy and a new public engagement team, rather than addressing fraud as an investigative priority for police or the inclusion of fraud statistics in performance data.
Ministry of Justice
View details
20 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Fraud currently lacks Strategic Policing Requirement status and comprehensive performance data publication.
Fraud should be made a Strategic Policing Requirement to focus effort and resources on combatting this crime type. Additionally, performance data should be collected, monitored, and published at local and regional levels, as is done for other crime types, to … Read more
Government Response
For the Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR), the government acknowledges the need for stronger fraud capabilities and states ministers are currently considering a revised SPR. Regarding performance data, it points to existing collection and publication on the Action Fraud website and the NFIB dashboard.
Ministry of Justice
View details
21 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Fraud receives disproportionately low police funding and officer allocation despite prevalence.
Fraud accounts for more than 40% of all crime yet receives only around 2% of police funding. Out of the 20,000 new police officers being recruited, only 380 are planned to be deployed in the response to fraud. If the … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the need for sufficient resourcing, allocating £400 million over three years for economic crime and dedicating 725 police uplift posts to serious organised crime including fraud. It is also expanding fraud investigation teams across all Regional Organised Crime Units and increasing capacity in CoLP and the NCA.
Ministry of Justice
View details
22 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Government funding and police resourcing for fraud response remain insufficient.
The Government needs to put in place sufficient funding and police resourcing to bring about a step-change in the response to fraud.
Government Response
The government accepts the need for a step-change in resourcing, allocating £400 million over three years for economic crime and dedicating 725 police uplift posts to serious organised crime including fraud. It is also expanding fraud investigation teams across all Regional Organised Crime Units and increasing capacity in CoLP and the NCA.
Ministry of Justice
View details
23 Conclusion Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Police training inadequately addresses technology-exploiting fraud crimes and evolving offending methods.
Fraud crimes can be easy to spot in many cases if a police officer has adequate awareness of technological developments, but can be missed in the absence of such knowledge. The training of police remains focused on more traditional crime … Read more
Government Response
The government supports the College of Policing's (CoP) efforts to ensure police professionals have access to appropriate training for fraud, detailing existing training programmes and ongoing reviews with the City of London Police.
Ministry of Justice
View details
24 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Police training needs review to reflect evolving technology-exploiting crime landscape.
The College of Policing should conduct a review of the training offered to front- line staff to ensure it reflects the changing crime landscape and provides a strong foundation in crimes that exploit technology such as fraud. (Paragraph 88) 40 … Read more
Government Response
The government is supportive of the College of Policing's (CoP) desire for high standards of learning and notes CoP is already working with City of London Police to review policing arrangements for fraud. It acknowledges more work is needed and continues to support CoP's collaborative plans, while detailing current training provisions.
Ministry of Justice
View details
25 Conclusion Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Dedicated economic crime courts would address complex fraud cases and backlog.
We have heard compelling proposals for dedicated economic crime courts to ensure there are judges with the right skills to oversee what can often be lengthy and sometimes complex cases. This would also help address the backlog in fraud cases, … Read more
Government Response
The government recognises the impact of delays and clarifies that dedicated courts alone would not increase capacity. However, it confirms the planned construction of the City of London Law courts, opening in 2026, which is expected to focus on high-level fraud, cyber, and economic crime cases.
Ministry of Justice
View details
26 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Pilot establishment of dedicated economic crime courts in collaboration with the Judiciary.
The Government should work with the Judiciary to pilot the establishment of economic crime courts. If the pilots are successful, these types of court should be established around the country to reflect the geographic diversity in the crimes being perpetrated. Read more
Government Response
The government rejects piloting economic crime courts nationally due to capacity concerns but highlights the planned City of London Law courts, opening in 2026, which are expected to focus on high-level fraud, cyber, and economic crime.
Ministry of Justice
View details
27 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Application of disclosure rules is problematic in digital fraud cases, requiring clearer guidelines.
Our inquiry heard of problems with the application of disclosure rules which can result in significant amounts of police and prosecution time being spent redacting and disclosing vast amounts of material that turns out to be unnecessary to the case … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the complexity of disclosure, particularly with digital material, noting past revisions to guidelines and ongoing work. It states the forthcoming fraud strategy will detail aims for the disclosure regime in complex fraud cases.
Ministry of Justice
View details
28 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Review current disclosure guidelines to introduce specific guidance for digital fraud cases.
The Attorney General should review the current disclosure guidelines and consider whether there is merit in introducing specific guidance on disclosure in fraud cases with large quantities of digital material.
Government Response
The government acknowledges the complexity of disclosure, noting past reviews and revisions to guidelines. It states that future work may be needed for complex crime and confirms that the forthcoming fraud strategy will detail its aim to ensure the disclosure regime meets the needs of complex fraud cases.
Ministry of Justice
View details
29 Conclusion Not Addressed
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Early engagement between police, prosecution, and defence is beneficial, hindered by legal aid.
Greater engagement between the police, prosecution and defence has been highlighted as best practice for determining the scope of prosecutions and helping conclude cases in a timely manner. A key barrier to this engagement has been the lack of legal … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that victims of fraud need support and advice and will work with the City of London Police to expand National Economic Crime Victim Care Units across England and Wales from 2023 for victims whose cases are not investigated by the police.
Ministry of Justice
View details
30 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Current sentencing guidelines inadequately address emotional and psychological impact of fraud crimes.
The loss of a comparatively small amount of money can have a greater impact on one individual than the loss of a greater amount on another. The current sentencing guidelines do not recognise this and therefore overlook the emotional and … Read more
Government Response
The government states that the independent Sentencing Council is responsible for developing sentencing guidelines and confirms it has shared the report with the Office of the Sentencing Council for their consideration.
Ministry of Justice
View details
31 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Sentencing guidelines require amendment to consider emotional and psychological harms of fraud.
Sentencing guidelines should be amended to give greater consideration to the emotional and psychological harms caused by fraud crimes alongside the financial losses incurred. (Paragraph 122) Disrupting and preventing fraud
Government Response
The government states that the independent Sentencing Council is responsible for developing sentencing guidelines and confirms it has shared the report with them for their consideration.
Ministry of Justice
View details
32 Conclusion Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Effective fraud prevention requires robust public and private sector cooperation.
Our inquiry has repeatedly heard that the most effective way to tackle fraud is to prevent it occurring in the first place. This requires co-operation across the private and public sectors, with the Government using its convening power to unite … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees on the need for a unified public and private sector response to fraud and will shortly publish a new strategy detailing how it will stop fraud attempts, empower victims, and prosecute fraudsters through collaboration with various partners.
Ministry of Justice
View details
33 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Upcoming Fraud Action Plan needs clear roles for public and private sectors.
Government should continue to bring together the public and private sectors and ensure that the upcoming Fraud Action Plan sets out its ambition for tackling fraud, how this will be achieved, and the roles and responsibilities each industry has within … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees on the need for a unified public and private sector response to fraud, citing ongoing collaboration through the Joint Fraud Taskforce. It commits to shortly publishing a new strategy that will detail its ambitions, methods, and partnership approach to combatting fraud.
Ministry of Justice
View details
34 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Tech and telecom companies show insufficient engagement preventing fraud on their platforms.
We acknowledge that telecommunications and tech companies are taking steps to improve their response to fraud, however they remain platforms through which the majority of frauds impacting the general public are conducted. There still appears to be a lack of … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation and intends to launch a tech and online charter with industry next year to drive down fraud and improve collaboration, with further details in the upcoming Fraud Strategy.
Ministry of Justice
View details
35 Conclusion Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Tech and social media companies play vital role in designing fraud out of systems.
Tech and social media companies have a vital role to play in designing fraud out of their systems to help prevent so many frauds from being conducted online.
Government Response
The government agrees with the vital role of tech and social media companies in preventing online fraud. It intends for the Home Office to launch a tech and online charter with industry next year, outlining public and private actions to drive down fraud in these sectors.
Ministry of Justice
View details
36 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Establish charters with social media and tech companies to ensure fraud accountability.
The Government should prioritise putting in place charters with the social media and tech companies to capture their commitments and responsibilities in relation to tackling fraud, and to enable them to be held to account by government for their progress … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation and confirms the Home Office intends to launch a tech and online charter with industry next year. This charter will include public and private actions to tackle fraud and will be further outlined in the upcoming Fraud Strategy.
Ministry of Justice
View details
37 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Failure to prevent fraud' offence could improve corporate behaviour and prevention efforts.
The ‘failure to prevent’ offence for bribery has had success in driving better corporate behaviours. A similar offence for failure to prevent fraud being perpetrated using a company’s platforms would not only aid prosecution for these failures but focus private … Read more
Government Response
The government recognises the limitations of current corporate criminal liability laws and is considering the Law Commission’s paper from June 2022 to strengthen the law, including the creation of a 'failure to prevent fraud' offence. It also highlights the Online Safety Bill's new duty on companies to prevent fraud on their platforms.
Ministry of Justice
View details
38 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
A 'failure to prevent fraud' offence could hold companies accountable for platform fraud.
A failure to prevent fraud offence should be introduced to hold companies to account for fraud occurring on their systems and encourage better corporate behaviours.
Government Response
The government is actively considering the Law Commission's review on corporate criminal liability, including the creation of a failure to prevent fraud offence. Separately, the Online Safety Bill will introduce a duty for social media and search engine companies to implement systems to prevent fraud on their platforms.
Ministry of Justice
View details
39 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Concern exists regarding perceived GDPR restrictions on data sharing for fraud prevention.
We are concerned to hear that there is a perception that legislation such as GDPR is preventing the sharing of information and intelligence across sectors where frauds were suspected. Data-sharing laws should not restrict the sharing of information for law … Read more
Government Response
The government is taking steps to support information sharing for economic crime prevention through the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, which will provide greater assurance for sharing under GDPR, and the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, which will enable easier sharing by disapplying civil liability. It continues to consider the SAO regime.
Ministry of Justice
View details
40 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Provide update and proposals to broaden data sharing for effective fraud combatting.
The Government should provide an update of its review of the legislation in respect of the sharing of data with a Specified Anti-Fraud Organisation. The Government should also look more broadly at the operation of data-sharing legislation with regard to … Read more
Government Response
The government is supporting data sharing for economic crime prevention through the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill and the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, which aim to ease information sharing and disapply civil liability. It continues to consider next steps for the Specified Anti-Fraud Organisation regime.
Ministry of Justice
View details
41 Conclusion Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Online Safety Bill offers crucial opportunity to strengthen fraud prevention on platforms.
We welcome the opportunity the Online Safety Bill presents to require companies to do more to prevent frauds from being perpetrated on their platforms, and to strengthen the obligations of companies to ensure the safety of their online users.
Government Response
The government confirms the Online Safety Bill will, for the first time, create a duty on social media and search engine companies to implement systems and processes to prevent fraud on their platforms, with Ofcom having extensive enforcement powers.
Ministry of Justice
View details
42 Conclusion Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Current fraud prevention campaigns lack sufficient resources to effectively raise public awareness.
Key to the prevention of fraud is increasing public awareness of these crimes and the steps people can take to avoid being victimised. Although campaigns are currently run by the Financial Conduct Authority and its partners, these do not have … Read more
Government Response
The government recognises the importance of raising public awareness for fraud prevention, which will be a key part of its forthcoming fraud strategy. It has established a new public engagement team at the NECC/NCA to coordinate anti-fraud communications across sectors and improve messaging, in addition to existing campaigns.
Ministry of Justice
View details
43 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Fraud and the Just…
Plan a national awareness campaign to raise public awareness of fraud prevention measures.
The Government should plan a national awareness campaign as part of the new Fraud Action Plan, to raise public awareness of fraud and the personal actions people can take to reduce their chances of falling victim to such crimes. (Paragraph … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of public awareness for fraud, stating it will be a key part of the forthcoming fraud strategy and mentioning a new public engagement team. However, it primarily highlights numerous existing awareness campaigns already run by various organisations and states it continues to support these.
Ministry of Justice
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 43 of 20 classified

Total 20 recs + 23 conclusions
Correspondence 5 letters
9 May 2023 To committee Letter from Rt Hon Tom Tugendhat MBE VR MP, Security Minister, dated 3 May 2023, on the publication of the Government’s Fraud Strategy
Parliament page
7 Dec 2022 From committee Letter to the Chairman of the Sentencing Council, dated 30 November 2022, on the Committee's report on Fraud and the Justice System
Parliament page
23 Nov 2022 To committee Letter from the Sentencing Council, dated 14 November 2022, on the Committe's report on Fraud and the Justice System
Parliament page
17 May 2022 To committee Letter from Damian Hinds MP, Minister for Security and Borders, dated 10 May 2022, on oral evidence follow up
Parliament page
10 May 2022 From committee Letter to Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP, Minister for Security and Borders, dated 28 April 2022, following oral evidence on fraud inquiry
Parliament page