Cyber-crime and cyber fraud are now the most common crimes in the country with 1 in 10 people in the UK falling victim to an online scam last year.
Figures released by the police revealed that 3.6 million cases of fraud were reported last year, however, experts believe that the actual number of cases is closer to 5.5 million. This number accounts for nearly half the crimes in the entire country. The police believe that the reason the numbers are so much higher, is because many are unwilling or too embarrassed to come forward and report the crime.
The figures were revealed in the annual Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) which seeks to assess and track the number of offences by interviewing people about their personal experiences with crime.
Victims of online fraud are targeted by criminals based both at home and overseas. They use a variety of sophisticated techniques and tricks to gain access to their victim’s bank account, personal details and credit card details.
Many of those targeted by the fraudsters are elderly or vulnerable people who are taken advantage of through the usage of phishing scams.
Lucy Hastings, Director at the independent charity Victim Support, said: “We know that cybercrime and fraud can have a devastating impact, both financially and emotionally, on victims’ lives.
"Many victims blame themselves or feel too embarrassed to come forward and get help but this shouldn’t be the case.
"We want to encourage people to seek the help they may need and get the justice they deserve."
The rise of online fraud is reaching almost epidemic level proportions, with anyone who uses computers to bank and shop or even use email is at risk.
Whilst the traditional common place crimes like car theft are on the decline, almost 10% of the adult population have reported themselves as being a victim of cyber-crime. This has led to the overall crime statistics for the year doubling.
John Flatley of the ONS said: "In the past, burglary and theft of vehicles were the high-volume crimes driving trends but their numbers have fallen substantially since then.
"When the CSEW started, fraud was not considered a significant threat and the internet had yet to be invented.
"Today's figures demonstrate how crime has changed, with fraud now the most commonly experienced offence."
Another section of society being targeted by fraudster’s is businesses. CEO fraud is an increasingly common type of offence, in which members of an organisation will receive a request for a monetary transfer, disguised as a request from the CEO or management. Those eager to please will leap at the chance to assist their employer, and will in the process, send a small fortune to fraudsters.
According to Action Fraud, out of the &32 million reported to be lost by businesses to CEO fraud only &1 million has been able to be recovered by the victims.