Written question asked by David Crausby (Labour) on Thursday, 3 December 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 December 2009. It was answered by Alan Campbell (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 December 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Fraud: Internet

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the incidence of internet fraud.

Answer: The Government are determined to tackle the problem of fraud, and it has signalled its commitment to tackling fraud with the allocation of £29 million in new money over three years to implement the National Fraud Programme. The National Fraud Authority (NFA) published the first National Fraud Strategy in March and will drive forward a comprehensive strategy for tackling fraud, bringing together the Government, criminal justice practitioners, business and the public. The funding also enabled the establishment of a National Fraud Reporting Centre (NFRC) which will provide a reporting mechanism for individuals and small businesses to report fraud where no other law enforcement or regulatory reporting mechanism exists. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), which is linked to the NFRC, will develop intelligence from these reports, and pass it to law enforcement agencies. The intelligence gathered will also help form the basis of better prevention advice and alerts to fraud threats for business and the public.In addition to the funding for the National Fraud Programme the Government are providing £3.5 million over three years to create the Police Central e-crime Unit (PCeU).This will provide support to the Police Service in developing a structured response to online crime, and its initial focus will be on the area of fraud-related electronic crime, working with the NFRC to develop a response to reports on such matters.

Secondary information