The UK government has issued a ban on the possession and supply of SIM farms in a European first, in an effort to better protect people from fraud and scams.

SIM farms are technical devices capable of holding multiple SIM cards enabling criminals to send scam texts to thousands of people at once or set up ‘verified’ online accounts in large volumes.

The UK government says that these ‘farms’ increase the chances of innocent consumers falling victim to major financial losses.

Last year, fraud increased 19%, according to the UK government, representing 40% of crime in England and Wales.

The new offense will make the possession or supply of SIM farms without a legitimate reason illegal, shutting down a key route used by criminals to exploit the public, and will carry an unlimited fine in England and Wales and a £5,000 fine in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The ban will come into effect six months after the Crime and Policing Bill receives Royal Assent.

“Fraud devastates lives, and I am determined to take the decisive action necessary to protect the public from these shameful criminals,” fraud minister 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 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.”

Recommended reading

• Openreach’s Fibre Network Now Reaches Half of Scotland
• Ofcom Takes “World-leading” Action Against Mobile Networks Threat
• BT Urges Firms to Switch to Reliable Digital Networks by End of Year
• Broadband Traffic Hits Record High Across UK

Nick Sharp, deputy director for fraud at the National Crime Agency, added: “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.

“The ban announced today is very welcome. It will give us a vital tool to step up our fight against fraudsters, target the services they rely on, and better protect the public.”