Government failure to tackle fraudsters is national scandal

A KEY duty of any government is to protect its citizens.

- Martin Richardson Guest Columnist

This is centred on ensuring safety, security and upholding the rule of law. But when it comes to fraud, Britons are being spectacularly failed on every measure.There are few protections for ordinary people from the scourge of fraud. It is so acute I believe it can only be described as a serious failure by ministers.

We predicted last year that there would be a rise in overseas scams and fraud fuelled by artificial intelligence. There is no doubt this has occurred.

Foreign criminals are targeting the UK and sucking out billions of pounds. We all know social media sites host and peddle scam adverts to lure in unsuspecting victims.

Telecom giants also help send out scam texts and phone calls every second of every minute.

Indeed, it’s estimated that Meta - owner of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram — sees more than 50% of UK fraud operated through, or started from, their platforms.

What other company would be allowed to operate as a conduit for criminality? Yet it seems the government is too scared to hold these behemoths to account.

So where is the protection from ministers for its citizens when it comes to safety and security from foreign fraud?