Telecoms Fraud Charter: Industry to combat UK's most prevalent crime

6 Nov 2025 11:45 AM

The UK telecoms sector has today launched an updated Telecoms Fraud Sector Charter, marking a significant escalation in the industry's fight against fraud – now the country's most common crime according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. 

Led by the Communications Crime Strategy Group (CCSG) and Comms Council UK (CCUK), the Charter brings together major mobile networks including BT EE, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone Three, Sky, and TalkTalk, alongside business-to-business voice and telephony providers. 

2025: what’s new 

Building on progress since the first Charter in 2021, this updated version introduces several ambitious initiatives. The sector will establish cross-sector workshops within six months to design scalable data-sharing models between telecoms, banking, and tech providers. These workshops, convened with Home Office support, aim to create what the Charter describes as "a seamless, multi-sector data-sharing ecosystem."  

How this intersects with concurrent work – and forthcoming strategy – on Smart Data for the sector will be of critical importance.  

The telecoms industry is also committing to develop a call tracing process with Ofcom to address scam and fraudulent calls, with operational traceback expected across participating networks within 12 months. This will work alongside the adoption of modern network features such as VoLTE to improve visibility and control. 

Securing messaging  

With network-originated SMS remaining a trusted channel for businesses and public services, signatories will strengthen sender verification processes and enhance vetting procedures for commercial SMS customers. Notably, the Charter proposes that RCS providers align with existing fraud prevention work on SMS, including intelligence and 7726 data sharing.  

Again – the Charter notes that there is a concurrent consultation by Ofcom on combatting scam messages, which opened at the end of October 2025. Interestingly, in that consultation, Ofcom sets out RCS messaging does not currently fall under the Communications Act (like SMS or MMS), and it is for providers to determine how RCS is implemented: either a PECS or user-to-user service under the Online Safety Act.  

Furthermore, a dedicated AI Fraud Prevention Working Group will be established to coordinate activity across the sector, mapping current AI tools and developing common principles for ethical deployment whilst safeguarding privacy and consumer trust. 

Supporting victims 

The Charter sets targets for victim support, committing to resolve the majority of fraud cases within 21 days by November 2026, reducing to 14 days by November 2027. Mobile networks will also align with the government's Stop! Think Fraud campaign, incorporating consistent messaging across customer communications. 

Frontline staff training will be strengthened, with agreed best practices for preventing fraud, including measures such as requiring two-factor authentication before account transfers. 

Law enforcement collaboration 

The sector will share targeted intelligence with law enforcement through the Fraud Targeting Cell, focusing on the "directing minds," key enablers, and ultimate beneficiaries of fraud. Working groups will be established to understand threats from SIM farms, SMS blasters, and bogus pay-as-you-go identities. 

For business-to-business providers, CCUK will work with the Network Interoperability Consultative Committee to create a proof-of-concept API enabling trusted sharing of fraud intelligence, whilst broadening participation in the National Trading Standards data-sharing scheme established in January 2025. 

As Lord Hanson of Flint, Minister of State at the Home Office, notes in his foreword: "This Charter represents a landmark commitment from the telecoms industry to tackle fraud head-on." With government standing alongside the sector, the ambition is clear: to make the UK a hostile environment for fraudsters and a safer place for everyone. 

Combatting Fraud: techUK's 2025 Report 

The Charter's ambitions align closely with techUK's Anti-Fraud Report 2025, which will set out how fraud has become a systemic risk to the UK's digital and financial infrastructure, and launches on Thursday 13 November. Both initiatives recognise that tackling fraud requires a whole-system response linking law enforcement, government, regulators, and industry. Where the Charter sets out practical commitments on data sharing, AI deployment, and cross-sector collaboration, techUK's report provides the broader policy framework and evidence base – including case studies from platforms, telecoms, cybersecurity, and digital identity providers – demonstrating how technology is already detecting, blocking, and disrupting scams.  

Together, they offer a comprehensive roadmap: the Charter delivers industry action with clear timelines and measurable commitments, whilst techUK's report champions the connected, collaborative anti-fraud ecosystem needed to shift focus from reactive response to addressing vulnerabilities earlier in the attack chain. The synergy between these initiatives underscores a shared recognition that fraud is not just a threat to consumers, but a drag on growth requiring coordinated action across the entire digital economy.