UK government targets fraudsters with new ban on cold calls for crypto
The United Kingdom is set to ban cold calls that sell financial products, including insurance and cryptocurrencies, in an attempt to crack down on fraud. It is estimated that fraud costs the country approximately £7 billion ($8.7 billion) annually.
The U.K. government reportedly announced its new fraud strategy, pledging 400 new jobs to update its approach to intelligence-led policing. The government will work alongside telecoms regulator, The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, to use new technology to counter phone number "spoofing," which would prevent fraudsters from impersonating legitimate UK phone numbers.
According to a report, wire fraud is now the most prevalent crime in the UK, with 1 in 15 people falling victim to it. To ensure more victims of fraud get their money back, the government aims to introduce laws that require financial institutions to reimburse victims of authorized fraud.
A report published on Jan. 29 by media outlets, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Observer, shows that organized crime syndicates are utilizing the U.K. as their operational base owing to the region's "lenient regulations." Registering a company in the U.K. costs as little as 12 British pounds ($14.85) and requires no form of identification, making it easy for fraudulent companies to register there and gain sham credibility.
The U.K. government has been making efforts to clamp down on cryptocurrency companies operating in the region. The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) mandated all companies engaged in crypto asset activity to register with it in accordance with the existing Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) rules for the digital assets market.
However, the FCA has adopted a strict
Read more on cointelegraph.com
