Source: Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) published on this website Monday 30 June 2025 by Jill Powell

A new guide from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and National Crime Agency (NCA) warning about a rise in the abuse of AI to create nude and sexual imagery of children has been issued to professionals working with children and young people to help them address the evolving threat.  
 
The guide will equip education practitioners and all those who support children and young people in the UK, such as social workers, youth football clubs, Scout and Guide groups and summer holiday clubs, with essential clarity and information they need to appropriately respond to incidents involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material. 

The new guide makes it clear AI child sexual abuse imagery “should be treated with the same level of care, urgency and safeguarding response as any other incidence involving child sexual abuse material” and aims to dispel any misconception that AI imagery causes less harm than real photographs or videos. 

Alex Murray, National Crime Agency Director of Threat Leadership and policing lead for artificial intelligence, said:

 “AI-generated child sexual abuse material is a threat, with research from the Internet Watch Foundation showing an increase in reporting.

“Generative AI image creation tools will increase the volume of child sexual abuse material available online, creating difficulties with identifying and safeguarding victims due to the vast improvements in how real photos appear.

“Our survey showed that more than a quarter of respondents were not aware that AI-generated CSAM is illegal. A majority of professionals felt that guidance was needed to help them deal with this threat, which is why we’ve worked closely with the IWF to produce this resource. It will help professionals better understand AI, how it’s used to create CSAM and ways of responding to an incident involving children or young people.

 “Protecting every single child from harm should matter to everyone. This is why we continue to work closely with partners to tackle this threat and are investing in technology to assist us with CSA investigations to safeguard children.

“Tackling child sexual abuse is a priority for the NCA and our policing partners, and we will continue to investigate and prosecute individuals who produce, possess, share or search for CSAM, including AI-generated CSAM.”

The document, Child sexual abuse imagery generated by artificial intelligence: An essential guide for professionals who work with children and young people, was issued to a network of 38,000 professionals and partners working with children in the UK to raise awareness of the issue and provide information and guidance.

The guide also provides professionals with a step-by-step response for dealing with incidents relating to AI-generated child sexual imagery, such as how best to handle any illegal material and ensuring that victims are given the appropriate support they need.
 
Tailored versions of the guidance have been created for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and will be distributed across the UK, as well as hosted on the IWF and the NCA’s CEOP websites.

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPR) published on this website Thursday 26 June 2023 by Jill Powell

A man who laundered more than a million pounds gained from a sophisticated romance fraud operation that devastated vulnerable victims has been jailed. 

Ahmed Ali Suleman, 63, was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Between January 2015 and November 2017, the defendant exploited his position within the textile industry to launder money for international fraudsters.

He was found guilty of entering into a money laundering arrangement and false accounting following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court on 24 April 2025.

On Monday 23 June, he was sentenced to four years and three months' imprisonment.

Tarryn McCaffrey, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, said:

 “Through this money laundering operation, Suleman provided a financial lifeline to romance fraudsters who preyed on vulnerable individuals.

“Money launderers are the enablers who make crime profitable and sustainable for these criminal networks. Suleman wasn’t just moving money – he was facilitating the continued exploitation of vulnerable people, causing devastating emotional and financial harm.

"The Crown Prosecution Service worked closely with the National Crime Agency build a strong case and bring him to justice. We will be pursuing confiscation proceedings against the defendant to remove any available criminal benefits gained from this enterprise.”

Source: Ofcom published on this website Friday 27 June 2025 by Jill Powell

Children in the UK will gain increased protection from online pornography next month, Ofcom has announced, as major providers agree to bring in robust methods to check users’ age for the first time.

By 25 July, all sites and apps that allow pornography – whether they are dedicated adult sites or social media, search or gaming services – must use highly effective age checks to ensure children are not normally able to encounter it. Online firms who publish their own pornography are already required to protect children from it, and thousands of sites have already introduced robust age checks in response. 

Major porn providers operating in the UK have confirmed to Ofcom that they will introduce effective checks by next month’s deadline in order to comply with the new rule.

Monitoring compliance with these new duties is a priority for Ofcom. If any company fails to comply with its new duties, Ofcom can impose fines and – in very serious cases – apply for a court order to prevent the site or app from being available in the UK. As part of our work enforcing the Online Safety Act, we have already launched investigations into four porn providers and won’t hesitate to take further action from July.

A news release is available with more information and new research from Ofcom on the extent to which children are accessing porn online will be published shortly.

Source: Home Office published on this website Friday 25 June 2025 by Jill Powell

Yesterday on the eve of Glastonbury, British music lovers are being urged to take caution over last-minute tickets for sale on social media, after new figures revealed that the amount lost to ticket fraud more than doubled to £1.6m in 2024.

The government has issued the warning as part of its wider crackdown on scammers and online fraud, designed to ensure money is kept in working people’s pockets, as part of the Plan for Change.

With a host of tours and festivals due to take place this summer, including the Oasis reunion tour kicking off in July, new Action Fraud data released by the Home Office today finds the public lost more than £1.6 million in scams related to concert tickets in 2024 - more than double the figure from the previous year.

Around 3,700 gig ticket fraud reports were made to Action Fraud in 2024, with almost half of them referring to offers made on social media platforms. The government has called on tech companies to go further and faster to protect the public from the fraudulent offers being advertised on their platforms.

The data shows that people in their twenties were most likely to become victims of ticket fraud last year, accounting for 27% of all victims, and the government has urged people to follow the government’s Stop! Think Fraud campaign advice to ensure they are protected from scams ahead of a busy summer of gigs and festivals.

1. If you’re offered tickets for something in high demand don’t let the fear of missing out rush your decision. Take a moment to stop, think, and check if the offer is genuine.
2. Only buy tickets from the venue’s box office or an official ticketing website.
3. Never move away from an official payment platform to make a direct payment via bank transfer or virtual currency. Use the site’s recommended payment methods to stay protected.

With fraud the most commonly experienced crime in the UK, affecting 1 in 15 adults each year, the government is taking further steps to crack down on the scammers behind the surge in fraud over the last decade, including through a new ban on SIM farms, technical devices which facilitate fraud on an industrial scale.

The UK is also driving the response to fraud internationally through the adoption of the first ever UN resolution on fraud and has launched the first ever Insurance Fraud Charter to reduce fraud against the sector and consumers. The government will go further by publishing a new, expanded fraud strategy before the end of the year, which will place raising public awareness and working with tech companies at its heart.

This follows government plans to tackle greedy ticket touts through new measures announced earlier this year which will put a cap on the price of resold tickets for concerts, live sport and other events, to put the power back in the hands of fans.