Cyber crime losses fall by more than half in region

In the six-month period between April and September 2018, cyber dependant crime losses in West Mercia dropped by 56.4 per cent to £227,316, according to the City of London Police's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

The losses compare to £521,336 recorded in the previous six months.

Reporting of cyber crime cases across the region has also dropped by more than 1.7 per cent to 238 in the same period, compared with a national increase of just under 8 per cent.

The figures show the hacking of social media and email accounts are the primary offence in West Mercia, with 86 reported in the six-month period.

Victim losses from criminals hacking accounts add up to more than £99,000.

The figures released by the City of London Police's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, which hosts the national reporting centre for cyber crime, Action Fraud, include details such as the number of reports of cyber crimes made to Action Fraud and the amount of money lost by victims in each police force area.

For West Mercia, it is also estimated that at least 74 per cent of all fraud crime was done via the use of a computer or online device.

Other statistics in the report indicate that people aged between 40 to 49-years-old were the most likely to suffer from this type of offence.

Detective Inspector Emma Wright, of the Economic Crime Unit, said it is good news that West Mercia has seen a decrease in victim losses from cyber dependant crime.

Under-reported

"The reduction in losses may be as a result of people taking on board our Cyber Protect and Prepare key messages, which we have worked hard to convey to the public and businesses, working closely with our partner agencies," she said.

"West Mercia has also seen a decrease in reporting. However we know that cyber crime is under-reported so we continue to encourage the public and businesses to report cyber crimes to Action Fraud - the national reporting centre.

"While cyber dependent crime remains fairly low, the figures show that for West Mercia around 75 per cent of all fraud is cyber enabled and this is a figure we would like to see come down.

"We have taken significant steps to combat and reduce this type of crime and are working closely with our partners across West Mercia.

"We have recently established a team of cyber intelligence and investigative staff with more equipment and training coming through soon. This will enable us to devote more resources to cyber dependent investigations and bear down harder on cyber criminals.

"However, as always our best results are achieved by working closely with the public and businesses."

Cyber crime can be reported at actionfraud.police.uk or by phoning 0300 1232040.