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Written question asked by Apsana Begum (Independent (affiliation)) on Thursday, 17 July 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 July 2025. It was answered by Feryal Clark (Labour) on Friday, 25 July 2025 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Social Media: Fraud

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has had recent discussions with (a) Tiktok and (b) other social media platforms on taking steps to help reduce incidents of fraud where people develop fake romantic relationships and manipulate victims into transferring large sums of money.

Answer

Fraud is a priority offence under the Online Safety Act. This means that since the illegal harms duties came into force in March, user-to-user services, including TikTok, must take proactive steps to prevent users from encountering fraudulent content on their platforms and swiftly remove it where it does. These duties apply to a range of fraud types, including romance scams, and are enforceable by Ofcom.

Ministers and officials in DSIT have regular discussions with in-scope platforms on the implementation of the Online Safety Act and their broader efforts to tackle fraud.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
68925
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Fraud Social media
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk