Fraud Committee inquiry: telecoms sector and Crown Prosecution Service to give evidence

These evidence sessions will be held remotely and streamed live on Parliament TV.

At 9.30am the committee will hear from:

• Adrian Gorham, Chair, Communications Crime Strategy Group (CCSG)
• Professor Feng Hao, Professor of Security Engineering, University of Warwick.
  
  

Questions the committee is likely to cover in this session include:

• Why is number spoofing so prevalent and how can it be tackled?
• What options are being tested to combat bulk scam calls and SMS phishing/smishing?
• What is the financial impact of fraud on the telecoms sector? What checks are carried out on users of telecoms services to verify their ID and could more be done to check and verify customers?
• What is your response to the possible introduction of a ‘failure to prevent’ duty being imposed upon private sector companies, including in the telecoms industry?
  
  

At 10.45am the committee will hear from:

• Max Hill QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, Crown Prosecution Service.
  
  

Questions the committee is likely to cover in this session include:

• Is the Fraud Act 2006 broad enough to tackle modern types of digital fraud, for example cyber or crypto fraud?
• Does the disclosure regime require modernisation? What challenges do the police face in gathering evidence?
• Does GDPR have an impact upon the prosecution of fraud cases, and would there be benefit in establishing a dedicated working group to focus how GDPR is applied in criminal prosecutions?
• Is there a case for specialist courts for fraud cases?
• What steps does the CPS take to ensure that victims are supported during a prosecution?
  
  

More on this inquiry

Read the transcripts of the committee’s previous oral evidence sessions on Monday 16 June 2022 – first session and second session.

The committee’s work can be followed on its website and via Twitter.