BBC And ITV Escape Phone-In Fraud Investigation

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has decided against investigating the BBC and ITV over allegations relating to the broadcasters’ phone-in programmes and competitions.

Earlier this year, Ofcom fined the BBC a record £400,000 for faking winners and misleading audiences in the phone-in competitions on shows including Comic Relief and Children in Need (see Ofcom Fines The BBC A Record £400,000 For Latest Competition Scandal).

It was the highest financial penalty to be imposed by Ofcom against the BBC, though falls well below the £5.675 million that the regulator hit ITV with in May for its part in the premium rate phone-in scandal (see ITV Handed Record £5.675m Fine Over Phone-In Scandal).

However, despite Ofcom’s rulings, the SFO released a statement saying it has decided not to investigate the BBC or ITV.

The statement said: “After full and careful consideration the director considers that none of these [cases] meet the SFO criterion for acceptance for investigation.”

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com