by SIM FARM devices that can hold several SIM cards with which fraudsters can at the same time send thousands of fraud measurements to be prohibited according to plans to proceed against fraud.
The ban, the first of its kind in Europe, will make the possession or supply of the devices illegal without a good reason, with unlimited fines in England and Wales and a fine of £ 5,000 in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The government said that the devices are used by criminals to hold several SIM cards that can also send thousands of messages to people in order to create also via verified accounts in social media and other platforms in large volumes.
The home office said that the latest data had increased by 19% last year and that more than 40% of all reported crime in England and Wales is now.
The fraud minister Lord Hanson said: “Fraud on fraud, and I am determined to take the crucial complaint that is necessary to protect the public from these shameful criminals.
“Two thirds of British adults say that they have received a suspicious message on their phone-more than 35 million people, which is why it is so important to protect the public on SIM farms.
“This is a leap forward in our fight against fraud and will offer law enforcement and industrial partners with the clarity you need to protect the public from this shameful crime.
“This government will continue to take robust measures to protect the public from fraud and to ensure security and resilience through the plan for changes.”
Nick Sharp, deputy director of fraud at the National Crime Agency (NCA), said: “Fraud is the crime we all experience most likely, and one that causes considerable emotional and financial damage to the victims.
“We know that fraud is facilitated on the scale of SIM farms, the criminals give a means and the opportunity to contact a scale with a relatively simple victim.
“The ban announced today is very welcome. It will give us an important instrument to strengthen our struggle against fraudsters, to target the services that are dependent on and to better protect the public.”
The government said the new ban would come into force six months after the crime and police laws.
Fraud measurements have become an increasingly common problem in recent years. Mobile operators have regularly introduced new technologies to recognize and block them before reaching the public.
Rachel Andrews, head of corporate security at Vodafone UK, said that the ban on SIM farms was an “important step” to prevent fraud.
