£4.3 million will be invested by UK into online scams investigative team

In a move to prevent and minimize online scams the UK government has introduced a specialist cyber-enforcement team and allocated extra funding for Trading Standards. According to the official statistics online fraud reaches 3 million UK marks every year and results in losses of £3.5bn. 

Now the government plans to invest £4.3m over the period of three years into its program for hampering online crimes. The money will be used to train and appoint appropriate specialist trading standards enforcers in every region of England and in Scotland and Wales and the establishment of local computer labs. 

The main focus of the teams will be online ticket scams and scam websites that offer goods but deliver nothing in return. These OFT teams will be investigating hardest cyber-scams while cases will also be passed further to the police, Serious and Organised Crime Agency and other investigative agencies. 

Consumer Minister Kevin Brennan said: "Our investment will help the OFT and Trading Standards to put in place the new specialist teams, training and technology required to take the fight to these criminals."