The UK is set to ban ‘sim farm’ devices in an effort to crack down on mobile phone scams and fraud.
Sim farm devices are capable of holding multiple sim cards and are used by scammers to send thousands of scam text messages at once.
They can also be used to create verified accounts on social media and other platforms in large volumes
The government has said it will implement the ban, the first of its kind in Europe, to make the possession or supply of the devices without good reason illegal. It will see the possibility of unlimited fines in England and Wales and £5,000 fines in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Fraud minister Lord Hanson said the ban marks a “leap forward” in the government’s “vital” fight against fraud.
“Fraud devastates lives, and I am determined to take the decisive action necessary to protect the public from these shameful criminals,” Lord Hanson said.
“Two-thirds of British adults say they’ve received a suspicious message on their phone – equivalent to more than 35 million people – which is why cracking down on sim farms is so vital to protecting the public.
“This marks a leap forward in our fight against fraud and will provide law enforcement and industry partners with the clarity they need to protect the public from this shameful crime.
“This government will continue to take robust action to protect the public from fraud and deliver security and resilience through the Plan for Change.”
Scam text messages have become an increasingly common problem in recent years, with mobile operators regularly introducing new technology to help spot and block them before they reach the public.
The Home Office said recent data showed fraud had increased last year by 19 per cent, and now accounts for more than 40 per cent of all reported crime in England and Wales.
Rachel Andrews, head of corporate security at Vodafone UK, said the ban on sim farms was an “important step” in preventing fraud.
“Vodafone UK is committed to protecting all our customers from fraud, including activity enabled by sim farms,” she said.
“So far this year we have blocked over 38.5 million suspected scam messages, and in 2024 that figure reached over 73.5 million for the year.
“As an industry, UK telecoms operators have blocked more than one billion suspected scam messages since 2023. However, we cannot fully tackle fraud in isolation; collaboration between industry and government is crucial.”
The government said the new ban will come into effect six months after the Crime and Policing Bill receives royal assent.
Nick Sharp, deputy director for fraud at the National Crime Agency (NCA), welcomed the ban and said: “Fraud is the crime we are all most likely to experience, and one that causes victims significant emotional and financial harm.
“We know that fraud at scale is being facilitated by sim farms, which give criminals a means and an opportunity to contact victims at scale with relative ease.”
Source: independent.co.uk
