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26 September 2014 / John Cooper KC
Issue: 7623 / Categories: Opinion , Fraud , Criminal
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A spreading disease

Online fraud is the great legal challenge of the early 21st century, says John Cooper QC

The extent of online fraud has become so significant that only a few weeks ago, the Police Commissioner for the City of London, Adrian Leppard, declared that individuals needed to take more responsibility for online security because, put simply, the police cannot cope. He called for a national campaign to raise awareness as to the dangers both individuals and corporations face from this enormous threat.

Impact of online fraud

We should be under no illusion as to the impact of this fraud upon the national economy, where it is estimated to cost the UK more than £50bn every year with crimes ranging from investment fraud schemes to the hacking of businesses to obtain that most valuable of commodities, personal data.

In fact, the full extent of the damage being done to business may be significantly underestimated, in that some entities which depend upon public trust in their security are not reporting security breaches to the law

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NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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