Tens of millions of fraudulent texts and tens of thousands of SIM cards have been blocked with the help of an anti-fraud service, the Government has said.
The Home Office said that telecoms body Mobile UK’s 7726 anti-scam service had been key in the reduction of scam texts and the hike in disconnected SIM cards sending fraudulent messages.
New data from the telecoms body showed that one provider blocked 142 million fraudulent texts in nine months, while another disconnected 60,000 SIM cards that were sending scam texts.
The Home Office said another network reduced fraudulent texts by 97 per cent and cut “smishing” – when fraudsters sent text messages claiming to be from reputable companies to gain access to personal information – from other networks by 76 per cent.
The 7726 anti-scam service provides operators with information and intelligence to help them tackle fraud.
The Home Office said figures show that reports to the service had dropped by nearly 90 per cent – from 500,000 reports down to 50,000 since August last year.
It claimed this was “in line with the reduction in scam messages reaching customers”, adding the National Cyber Security Centre’s takedown service had also removed 2.7million scams online in the past year.
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However, Detective Chief Superintendent Oliver Shaw, from City of London Police’s Action Fraud, said this month that phishing scams “continue to pose a significant threat for both individuals and businesses”.
“I…
