Trustees of pensions schemes could soon be getting more powers to halt suspicious pension transfers, according to the Pension Scams Industry Group.

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The group said an amendment restricting the statutory right to a transfer is to be tabled to the pension schemes bill by two MPs, in an attempt to combat pension scams.

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It had proposed the amendment in its submission to the Work and Pensions Committee inquiry on pension scams currently underway. The amendment comes as the Pensions Regulator told the same committee that it would like the power to allow trustees to delay transfers where scam activity is suspected.

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Under current rules, if a provider refuses to carry out a transfer they could be at risk of legal action. In 2016, Royal London was successfully taken to court by a scheme member after it identified and blocked a suspicious transfer request. “Some organisations believe that the statutory right to transfer is so strong that efforts to stop transfers are wasted,” PSIG stated in its submission.

According to PSIG, Labour MP Stephen Timms, chairman of the WPC, and Conservative MP Nigel Mills, also a member of the committee, support the proposed change and will table the amendment to the pension schemes bill, which returns to the House of Commons on Wednesday.

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