Political party conferences 2016 In this feature l data sharing l cyber security l insurance fraud Fraud in the hot seat Topical consumer issues such as fraud captured the attention of various organisations and MPs during the political party conferences over the past few weeks. laura Hurcum reports D Cyber security is one of the biggest issues of our time, and has not been given the attention it warrants Chi Onwurah uring this years Labour, Conservative and SNP party conferences, CTSI joined seven of the UKs leading organisations committed to tackling fraud to debate the issue and wider consumer matters. Although attendance, overall, was down at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool in late September, the first Fraud Fringe event was refreshingly well populated, and sparked lively debate among panellists and audience members. It was held at the ACC Liverpool venue complex, and chaired by Labour MP Toby Perkins. Among the topics debated were the importance of data sharing, protecting vulnerable consumers, and raising awareness of fraud and scams. The panel consisted of: Melissa Dring, CTSI director of policy; Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle and shadow minister for business, energy and industrial strategy; Jack Dromey, Labour MP for Birmingham; Mike Haley, deputy chief executive of anti-fraud group Cifas; Caroline Abrahams, charity director, Age UK; Anthony Browne, chief executive of the British Bankers Association; Cathy Gerosa, head of regulatory affairs, Federation of Communication Services; Katy Worobec, director of Financial Fraud Action; and Ben Fletcher, director of Insurance Fraud Bureau. In her opening comments, Onwurah described cyber security as one of the biggest issues of our time, and argued that it has not been given the attention it warrants. She added that only a miniscule proportion of funds [had been] set aside to deal with crime online, despite its wide-ranging impact on businesses and individuals. Dring argued that the role of trading standards in tackling this criminality was poorly understood. She called for greater recognition of the professions role, and forcloser working with the police and otherbodies involved in fraud detection andinvestigation. Fletcher said there was a misconception among members of the public that insurance fraud was largely harmless and conducted by individuals, when in reality it was incredibly harmful and often perpetrated by organised criminals. He said sharing data is one of our best weapons to take the fight back to fraudsters. A week later and it was the turn of the Conservatives party conference, in Birmingham, to bring the issue of fraud to the top of theagenda. Browne, Worobec and Fletcher were again on the panel, and they were joined by: Leon Livermore, CTSI chief executive; Simon Fell, assistant director of engagement, Cifas; Jane Vass, director of policy and research at Age UK; Chris Pateman, chief executive of Federation of Communication Services; and Brandon Lewis MP, minister for policing. During the debate there was a clear desire to change the language used when talking about scams to make it more universally understandable Livermore insisted we need to say what is really going on. The issue of data sharing was raised by Browne, who called for better links between banks and law enforcement to make it easier to share information and identify fraud. Livermore agreed, saying it was essential to give consumers more power over their own data to tackle fraud. Speaking on behalf of the government, Lewis argued that one of the UKs biggest challenges in terms of security was the crossover between fraud and cyber crime. He acknowledged that breaking down barriers to sharing data would be an effective way to see what could be done to tackle the issue, and promised to consider the idea of a data-sharing facility. In the main hall, Theresa May set out her Brexit timetable and vision in her speech, referencing the same peoples party rhetoric we first heard from her when she took office. The Prime Minister again outlined her desire for an economy that works for everyone and while still wanting to encourage business and support free trade to make sure everyone plays by the same rules, in slight contrast to the cutting red tape mantra we have heard before. The final fringe event was held, for the first time, at the Scottish National Party conference in Glasgow and the CTSI policy team welcomed Patricia Gibson, MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, who chaired the session. Previous speakers Pateman, Worobec, Dring and Fletcher were joined by: Simon Dukes, chief executive of Cifas; Angela Kitching, head of external affairs, Age UK; and Michael Matheson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice. Discussions centred on the level of fraud in Scotland and how partnership working could be the way to tackle it. Dukes noted that identity fraud in the country increased by 17 per cent last year, while keynote speaker Matheson said fraud is often a result of organised crime. Dukes suggested a national measure of fraud loss and a cyber life-skills strategy were needed to tackle the problem. According to Dring, trading standards role in fighting fraud is understated; a focus on resources and organisations working together she added, is key. Senior CTSI staff were also on the panel during events hosted by Citizens Advice and the New Statesman, which allowed them to bring some of the institutes key policy demands to the attention of government and stakeholders. Credits Laura Hurcum, CTSI communications. Images: Andrew Wiard To share this page, in the toolbar click on You might also like Labour Party Conference, Liverpool Conservatives party conference, Birmingham Scottish National Party Conference, Glasgow