§ Lord Chadlingtonasked Her Majesty's Government: What they are doing to prevent e-fraud, in light of the increasing number of people being tricked by fraudulent e-mails into divulging their bank details. [HL75]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalThis practice, commonly known as "phishing", is an offence (or attempted offence) of fraud which can be prosecuted under the Theft Acts or under the commmon law of conspiracy to defraud. The maximum penalty for the main fraud offences (including attempts to commit them) is 10 years' imprisonment.
In response to recent incidents, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), together with the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS) and the British Bankers Association (BBA), has issued a checklist for UK consumers to help protect themselves against Internet fraudsters. Although the early indications are that very few people have responded to these e-mails, public awareness is essential in order to tackle this issue.
The Home Office chaired a consultation group to look at ways to combat new crime threats from e-tailing. As a result we are working on the construction of a website that will draw together the wealth of existing information on electronic crime prevention and make it more readily available.