§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the level of credit card fraud over the last three years; and what plans he has to reduce its incidence. [137886]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeRecorded crime figures for credit card fraud and cheque fraud are not separately identified. The total figures for England and Wales in the years ending March 1999 and March 2000 were 141,948 and 173,857 respectively.
The Association for Payment and Clearing Services (APACS) estimates that the value of credit card fraud relating to cards issued within the United Kingdom for the years ending March 1999 and March 2000 at £135 million and £ 189.4 million respectively.
The Government take the problem of card fraud very seriously and we liaise closely with the Association for Payment and Clearing Services and others to establish and promote best practice in protecting cards.
The Home Office held a seminar at the end of June to seek views from the banks, retailers and others about how the increasing levels of credit card fraud in the United Kingdom could be addressed. The main issues are the introduction of chip cards which would significantly reduce the use of fraudulent cards, and the introduction of a cardholder verification system, probably using a Personal Identification Number (PIN) number, to confirm that the user of the card is genuine. We want to see these important measures introduced as soon as possible. We are working in partnership with the industry to examine other ways in which the response to credit card fraud can be improved. A further seminar to take stock of the outcome of these discussions will take place later this month.