Justice Minister Bence Tuzson said that as a result of the government's firm actions, a total of 1 billion forints was retrieved from online scammers and paid back to the victims over the past six months.
Speaking at a press conference summarising last year's main achievements, Minister Tuzson called swift action "key importance" in online scams and noted new measures that allow police to access information faster and banks to block scam transfers.
Online scams went up significantly, by 40 percent, in 2023 and there have been more than 30 types identified so far, he said, adding that changes in methods had been constantly monitored and new measures were being drafted in response.
"We plan to submit a new bill to parliament in the spring," Tuzson said.
Making reference to the killing of eleven-year-old Tamas Till 25 years ago, the justice minister said that a decision had been made that homicide was regarded a crime that had no statute of limitation.
Meanwhile, the minister called Hungary’s EU presidency in the second half of 2024 highly successful, highlighting that "we have achieved that the primary consideration in every legislative issue should be the impact on the EU's competitiveness".
He said that there were a victim support centre operating in 17 county seats that provided help to 30,000 people last year, reflecting a 25 percent increase compared with 2023.
In answer to this question, the minister said preparations were underway for a lawsuit that Hungary would soon launch over the fine levied on the country by the European Court of Justice in connection with its migration rules.