Processing .....please wait.. 
The article has been forwarded.... 
UK govt. intensifies cyber-threat crackdown
Tuesday, 16 February 2010, 21:17 IST
Bangalore: UK government has decided to invest 4.3 million pound to launch a specialist cyber-enforcement team and allocated extra funding for Trading Standards as part of a campaign designed to clamp down on online scams. Office of Fair Trading (OFT) figures suggest online scams claim three million UK marks every year and result in losses of 3.5 million pounds. Approaches most often arrive in the form of scam emails, according to The Register.
The new team will focus more on online ticket scams and scam websites that offer goods but deliver nothing in return. Cases will continue to be passed to the police, Serious and Organised Crime Agency and other investigative agencies. The role of the OFT can loosely be compared to that of the US Federal Trade Commission though, of course, the OFT's budget and resources are far less. 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."
The government is investing 4.3 million pound over three years in a bid to clamp down on this growing source of crime. The money will allow the training and appointment of specialist trading standards enforcers in every region of England and in Scotland and Wales and the establishment of local computer labs.
The Government recently established the National Fraud Reporting Centre (NFRC) and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, which will be run through the City of London Police, to tackle the most serious and harmful fraud. Meanwhile the recently established Police Central eCrime Unit within the Metropolitan Police will tackle large-scale internet crime, including internet-enabled fraud. The OFT teams are focused on dealing with consumer reports of cyber-crimes which might otherwise slip through the net.
