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Business: Fraud

Asked by Shivani RajaConservativeDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 7 March 2025UIN 34340

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to protect consumers from fraudulent business practices.

Answered by Justin Madders

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is implementing the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act which strengthens consumer law enforcement by giving the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) new administrative powers, and the CMA and courts the ability to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover.

The DMCC Act also bans the buying, selling, and publishing of fake reviews, and restates existing prohibitions on misleading consumers in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (2008).

DBT also funds Citizens Advice to provide the consumer service which supports consumers to resolve disputes and assert their rights.

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