The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) is welcoming the Government’s announcement that search engines and social media platforms will be legally required to prevent paid-for fraudulent adverts, as part of the anti-fraud measures set out in the Online Safety Bill.
Ben Fletcher, Director at the IFB, said:
“I’m very pleased to hear that the Government will be tackling scam ads through the Online Safety Bill. For far too long, social media and search engine giants have barely been held to account for the fraudulent ads they are paid to host, which left little incentive for them to do more to stop ad scams.
“These scams have a serious impact. Our investigations have shown that fraudsters are mispresenting insurers and targeting road traffic victims on a daily basis – tricking them into agreements with third parties which can leave them ripped off and facing threatening calls for extortionate payments”.
“Legislative commitment to curb paid online scam ads is a significant step forward. If enforced against effectively, this will protect countless people from falling victim to the serious impact of insurance fraud and help to ensure the bill achieves its objective of making the UK the safest place to be online.
“If anyone has evidence of an insurance scam, it should be reported to our confidential Cheatline at http://www.insurancefraudbureau.org or 0800 422 0421”
Be the first to comment