In the UK, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) gives law enforcement the power to confiscate the revenues generated by criminal activity, including telecoms fraud. However, POCA is little used for this purpose. As a consequence, millions of dollars are pouring into the pockets of organised criminal gangs and terrorists. Under the leadership of fraud expert David Morrow, RAG is backing the campaign to persuade UK telcos and law enforcement bodies of the need to use POCA more vigorously in order to eliminate the motive for millions of pounds of telecoms fraud.
If you want to know more details about the scale of UK telecoms fraud, the workings of POCA and why we believe it could be better utilised in the fight against crime, please take a look at this briefing that David has prepared. Or you can start by watching this five-minute video clip of David giving a lecture about our failure to stem recurring fraudulent traffic and how it has turned the UK into “the sick man of Europe.”
David also provided an update on progress for our November 2016 meeting. This included new Freedom of Information data showing the Criminal Prosecution Service hardly ever prosecutes telco fraudsters, and they only reclaimed £14,180 from fraudsters between 2013 and 2015!
Whilst we assemble our campaign team, please get in touch with David and the RAG Committee. There are several ways you can help this drive to reduce telecoms fraud in the UK, including providing fraud data to law enforcement, giving educational briefings to your contacts in law enforcement, and showing your support more generally. Let us know how you will help, or just sign up to stay informed of progress. Whether you can help a lot, or just a little, we are grateful for any support received.