The shocking scale of online fraud has been exposed by figures showing Norfolk victims were fleeced out of more than £90m in just three months - or almost £1m a day.
The number of people falling prey to fraudsters has leapt alarmingly with many losing tens of thousands to online, email and text message scams.
New data collated by Norfolk Constabulary has revealed that the county's total consumer losses from fraud and cybercrime to people and businesses in the last three months of 2021 increased to £90,686,885 - a 20-fold rise on the same period in 2020.
The timescale covers the Black Friday and Christmas shopping period and was during the pandemic, when more people were at home.
“The pandemic meant door to door fraud crimes dropped but online phishing scams, text messages and emails saw big increases,” said John Greenwood, cyber security advisor for Norfolk and Suffolk police, who supplied the figures.
“We have had people reporting losing many thousands of pounds. Its effect can be devastating.”
Norfolk police reported that incidents of online fraud and computer misuse had risen by a fifth in 2021, in a sign that criminals increasingly prefer using computers rather than crowbars to part victims from their money.
“For the criminals it is less risky than traditional crime. If you rob a bank you are probably going to get caught,” said Mr Greenwood.
“If you empty someone’s bank account with a scam, and you are accessing it via VPN or from another country, the chances of being caught are much less unfortunately.”
The most common fraud method was phishing messages, mostly pretending to be from a delivery company or bank.
Retirees most likely to fall victim
Most victims who lost money – around three-quarters – had less than £250 stolen but one in 10 lost amounts into the thousands.
Mr Greenwood said younger people, including teenagers, were increasingly becoming victims of scams that take advantage of popular platforms like TikTok.
However those losing large amounts tended to be older, often retired, people looking for investment opportunities and are lured in by social media adverts.
“Without doing their due diligence, seeing if they are regulated, they can potentially lose thousands. We have seen people losing large amounts,” he said.
Margaret Dewsbury, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for communities and partnerships, and chair of Norfolk Against Scams Partnership (NASP), said: “We know that being the victim of fraud can have a huge emotional impact, often brought on, wrongly, by the stigma of falling victim to fraudsters.”
The dangers were highlighted when a man from Wells was persuaded to part with £51,000 to scammers pretending to be police officers.
He agreed to transfer the money via both online bank transfers and then in a physical cash exchange in an example of so-called ‘courier fraud’ where victims are persuaded or pressured into handing over their bank details, which can then be passed on to a courier."
Mr Greenwood said: “Currently we are seeing a big rise in energy rebate scams telling people to access their government rebate click on a weblink where it asks you to provide your bank details.
“Scammers are very good at moving on to what’s in the news and latching on to any angle or opportunities they can find.”
Cryptocurrency cowboys preying on people
Cryptocurrencies have also offered opportunities to criminal gangs, he added.
A Downham Market couple lost £30,000 after being lured into a cryptocurrency investment scam.
Gary Edwards, 71, wanted to top-up his savings to care for his wife Brenda, 82, who has advanced dementia, but has instead been left in crippling debt.
“Losing this amount of money is devastating for us,” he said. “As time goes on I’m not hopeful of getting my money back.”
Mr Greenwood said crypto exchanges tended to act quicker to close down scam accounts but tracking and recovering money posed a huge challenge as scams were frequently international.
“Organised crime groups will tend to launder cash very quickly. They will pass it through a mule account before moving it on,” he said.
“If it is cryptocurrency then potentially there are lines of enquiry to track it but in most cases the money goes abroad, or it goes aboard and is 'washed' and comes back in another way.”
More than 5,000 reports of fraud in Norfolk were made to Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre, in 2021 with a total reported loss of £16.1m.
And, as many scams go unreported, the true amount lost by victims is likely to be much higher.
This month, 10 consumer and financial service bodies urged the government to ensure that fraud is tackled through the Online Safety Bill so that people are better protected against devastating financial and emotional harm.
They said: “The unrelenting scale of harm caused by online fraud – through both user generated content and scam advertising – and the rate at which the problem is increasing, means that consumers cannot afford to wait for these vital protections.”
How to keep safe from cyber crime
To keep safe from having personal accounts compromised, Mr Greenwood suggests using strong, unique passwords and ensuring two-step verification is set up.
Make sure your computer has up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall installed.
Be cautious of suspicious social media messages or emails that ask for login details or authentication codes.
If you think your email or social media account has been hacked, it is important to act fast.
To protect yourself from crypto currency scams, be wary of adverts on social media promising high returns on investment in crypto-related assets.
Mr Greenwood said: "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."
If you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, you can report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040. You can also report it to Norfolk Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 113.
Norfolk Scam Prevention Service offers a free and confidential service. Call 0300 303 3706 or email nsvictimcare@victimsupport.org.uk
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