As the Government unveils its new Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter, RSM UK says voluntary measures don’t go far enough to stem the growing tide of fraud.

Erin Sims, fraud risk director, RSM UK said: “This charter is a positive step forward, but voluntary measures won’t be enough to stem the rising tide of fraud. Until these commitments become mandatory across the telecoms and tech sectors, with clear accountability and enforcement, criminals will continue to exploit the weakest links.

“Leading telecoms providers have committed to upgrading their networks within the next year to block ‘number spoofing,’ a key tactic used by fraudsters to impersonate trusted numbers. This pledge forms part of the UK Government’s new Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter, which sets out joint commitments between government, law enforcement and the telecoms industry to disrupt scams, improve data-sharing and strengthen victim support.

“According to UK Finance’s Half Year Fraud Report 2025, released last month, criminals stole £629 million in the first half of the year, a 3% rise compared with 2024, across more than two million cases, up 17% year-on-year. The majority these scams start on telecoms or social media platforms, highlighting why coordinated industry action is vital.

“Fraudsters now operate with an expanded arsenal, from voice spoofing and deepfake technology to ‘fraud-as-a-service’ platforms that sell tools on the dark web to help criminals commit fraud. These tactics are used not only to scam individuals, but also as social engineering techniques that trick business staff into opening the door to system compromise, enabling cyber-attacks on companies.”

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