UK joins forces with the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to shut down scam networks
Key Points
- The UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand agreed a UK-led fraud package in Sydney.
- Measures cover faster intelligence-sharing on fraud operations spanning multiple countries, including scam centres.
- Partners will coordinate to shut down accounts, services and channels used to target victims.
- Telecoms providers, technology companies and financial institutions will help shape industry recommendations.
- The UK committed £250 million through its Fraud Strategy earlier this year.
The UK has agreed to a joint crackdown on international fraud with the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and her Five Eyes counterparts backed a package of UK-led measures at the Five Country Ministerial in Sydney.
Organised crime groups have become increasingly sophisticated, exploiting global communications networks, digital platforms and financial systems to target victims across borders.
The measures include faster intelligence-sharing to identify fraud operations running across multiple countries, including scam centres. Partners will also coordinate action to shut down the accounts, services and communications channels criminals use to reach victims and move their profits.
The five countries will develop recommendations to strengthen industry action on online scams and financial crime, working alongside telecommunications providers, technology companies and financial institutions. That work targets the weaknesses in systems and services criminals exploit to reach victims and move illicit funds.
Closer collaboration between the public and private sectors will help partners spot new threats and respond to them more quickly.
“Fraud is a scourge on our society, ruining lives and costing victims billions of pounds every year,” said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
“Criminal gangs don’t respect borders, so our response can’t be restricted by them. By deepening international co-operation and working more closely with industry, we can track down fraudsters, disrupt their operations, and better protect the public.”
“Together, we must make it harder for criminals to profit from fraud and easier to bring them to justice.”
Five Eyes partners also backed enhanced international support for the UK-backed INTERPOL Global Fraud Taskforce, which brings together law enforcement, governments and industry.
The taskforce will map organised fraud networks, generate intelligence and identify links between criminal groups operating in different countries. It will also support international operations to disrupt those groups and bring perpetrators to justice.
The government committed £250 million through its new Fraud Strategy earlier this year. That funding covers law enforcement capabilities, tackling scams at their source and improving support for victims.
