Anti-fraud campaigners urge policymakers to intensify legal actions against fraudsters, whom they describe as perpetrators of a “penalty-free crime” that swindle millions from victims. This demand comes in the wake of a 19% surge in reported fraud incidents in the UK, announces the UK government’s plan to implement an enhanced fraud strategy. The program follows the revelation of a $35 million scam call center organization exposed by Swedish public broadcaster SVT, which shared over one million fraudulent phone calls with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and international journalism partners. Jorij Abraham, the managing director of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, emphasizes the lack of significant punishment for scammers, the ease, low cost, and profitability of such schemes, and the necessity for more legal tools and resources to combat fraud. Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at consumer rights group Which?, calls for cooperation between law enforcement, government, and businesses to prevent scams and argues for financial penalties against businesses that fail to implement adequate anti-scam measures. UK Fraud Minister Lord Hanson, during the launch of the government’s new anti-fraud program, vowed to hold criminals accountable and prevent fraud proceeds from entering other criminal enterprises. The Georgian scam call operation primarily targeted UK residents, who accounted for a third of the stolen funds, with individual losses exceeding £100,000. In response, Georgian prosecutors initiated a criminal inquiry into the Tbilisi call center operation; however, international collaboration or assistance from the UK remains uncertain.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/mar/30/anti-scam-campaign-groups-urge-uk-police-forces-to-get-tougher-on-fraudsters