Landmark ban on ‘SIM farms’ as UK steps up fight against fraud

SIM farms are 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. They increase the chances of innocent consumers falling victim to major financial losses.

Recent data shows that fraud increased last year by 19 per cent, and it accounts for more than 40 per cent of all reported crime in England and Wales.

The new offence 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.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) says the ban will give it a “vital tool” to step up its fight against fraudsters.

“Fraud is the crime we are all most likely to experience, and one that causes victims significant emotional and financial harm,” said Nick Sharp, deputy director for fraud at the NCA.

“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.”

Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said: “Fraud devastates lives, and I am determined to take the decisive action necessary to protect the public from these shameful criminals.

“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.”

Rachel Andrews, head of corporate security at Vodafone UK, said so far this year it has blocked more than 38.5 million suspected scam messages, and in 2024 that figure reached more than 73.5 million for the year.

“As an industry, UK telecoms operators have blocked more than 1 billion suspected scam messages since 2023,” she said. “However, we cannot fully tackle fraud in isolation, collaboration between industry and government is crucial.

“This is a really important step taken by the Home Office and we fully support the inclusion of SIM farms in the upcoming legislation.

“We look forward to working together on this issue.”

The Government has also committed to publish a new, expanded fraud strategy before the end of the year.