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The UK Lost £1.7 Billion to Fraud and Cybercrime in 2022: Counties Most Impacted

UK-fraud-cybercrime

Data has revealed the areas in the UK that see the highest levels of fraud and cybercriminal activity in 2022 – and London isn’t number one.

UK police forces reported a staggering 178,689 incidents in the first half of 2022, with reported losses of £1.7 billion.

Using crime figures logged by regional police forces, experts at information security firm Hicomply found that Dorset is the county where fraud and cybercrime are most prolific. Fraud and computer misuse reports made up over 10% of total offences in the area: 2,700 out of 26,730, with 210 cybercrime reports and a rate of 7 reports per 1000 population – and a reported £8.1m in losses.

Highest Scorers Were:

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The Lucky Lowest Scoring Areas Included:

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The study also found that the top three cybercrimes reported were social media and email hacking (8,600 reports), computer virus/malware/spyware (3,100 reports) and personal hacking (2,700 reports).

So, What Can You Do to Avoid Falling Prey to Hackers?

Marius van Aswegen, Chief Operations Officer at Hicomply, said:

“One of the most obvious ways we can stop successful cybercrime attempts is by recognising the signs of an attack. The data shows that hacking is one of the most widespread cybercrimes we face in the UK.

Phishing, which is a method of tricking the target into revealing sensitive or personal information, is one common method cybercriminals use to maliciously gain access to data. Make sure to learn the signs to look out for so you can identify fake emails and text messages. For organisations, it’s important to invest in regular staff training and awareness.”

Signs a Message or Email May Not Be Legitimate Include: 

Despite the figures, stats from the ONS showed that overall fraud and computer misuse crime figures had fallen between April 2021 and March 2022. Avon and Somerset saw a huge 81% decrease in reports, and other significant drops included Greater London (33% decrease), Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and North Yorkshire, all with a 23% decrease.

The full report can be found on the Hicomply website.

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