Crackdown on text scammers and spoofing in the UK
Key Points
- Ofcom has announced a crackdown on scam messages and spoofed phone calls targeting people in the UK.
- 40% of people in the UK said they had received at least one suspicious message on their smartphone in the past three months.
- New measures revealed today will require mobile providers to take stronger action against scammers and to block messages in transit.
- UK mobiles calling home from abroad should also now have their numbers withheld unless their validity can be confirmed, as part of a crackdown on spoofing.
The UK’s communications regulator has announced new rules to disrupt criminals who send scam messages and who operate from abroad and spoof UK numbers.
Ofcom said its new measures will require mobile providers to take more action to block, limit, and disrupt scammers who target people and businesses in the UK and manipulate them into sharing sensitive financial information.
The watchdog noted that fraud accounts for around 45% of all reported crime incidents in England and Wales, and that this year, 40% of UK mobile users reported receiving at least one suspicious message on their mobile phone in the last three months.
Scammers use mobile messaging services in two main ways: using a SIM card to send messages or using business messaging services.
The former is often used for person-to-person scam, such as those where criminals impersonate a target’s friend and ask for money.
Scammers who have access to business messaging services generally impersonate a legitimate business, such as the postal service or a government agency like HMRC, to pressure people into making payments or sharing sensitive information.
The new rules announced by Ofcom today will require mobile providers to collect information about scam messages, links, and numbers from their customers and anti-fraud organisations, and then block numbers used by scammers and block scam messages in transit.
Operators will also be required to set volume limits for pay-as-you-go SIM cards, making it harder for criminals to conduct person-to-person scams.
For businesses messaging services, mobile providers will be required to carry out more effective due diligence checks, prevent customers from using fake sender names, and block scam messages in transit.
Stronger measures against spoofing
In addition to the crackdown on scam messaging, Ofcom has also introduced new guidance to disrupt criminals who are based abroad but target people in the UK by imitating or ‘spoofing’ local numbers to make their targets believe the call is coming from within the country.
Many scammers based abroad prey on people by imitating UK phone numbers, which targets are more likely to trust and answer than phone calls from an international number.
Ofcom said that under its new guidance, mobile providers will be required to withhold the caller ID of calls coming from a UK handset that is roaming abroad, unless they can verify its validity.
“Mobile messaging scams can have devastating consequences for victims, with criminal gangs using ever more sophisticated techniques to dupe their victims,” said Ofcom Strategy Delivery Director Amy Jordan.
“Our new protections for consumers and businesses announced today will help ensure we remain one step ahead by disrupting and blocking this criminal activity at source.”
“Working closely with Government, other regulators, law enforcement and industry we are confident that our collective efforts will make a significant difference in thwarting these predatory fraudsters,” Jordan said.
