Cyber crimes cost Cumbrian victims more than £400,000

ActionFraud, the UK's national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre, has revealed that more than 40 "cyber-dependent" crimes were committed across the county between April and September, costing victims £13,000.

The most common form of the 44 crimes committed was hacking, with 13 incidents reported between April and September last year.

Figures published by ActionFraud show that 68 per cent of reported incidents were from individuals, with a combined loss of £11,000.

A further 11 per cent of reports were from businesses.

Over the same period, 66 "cyber-enabled" crimes were also committed.

ActionFraud said that 55 incidents were classified as computer service fraud, which can include someone claiming to be from a service centre or similar asking to fix a computer.

The organisation said that victims of cyber enabled crimes lost more than £400,000, with victims of computer service fraud losing a combined £343,000.

A staggering 95 per cent of reported cyber-enabled crimes were from individuals, with businesses reporting just three per cent.

The figures also show that more than 9,300 IP addresses were infected between April and September, while nearly 6,500 devices were infected with banking trojans. Forty-three per cent of infections were attributed to "tiny banker" malware.

The statistics have prompted Peter McCall, Cumbria's police and crime commissioner, has urged people across the county to ensure that they stay safe online.

He said: "The figures we are seeing from ActionFraud demonstrate that people are still vulnerable to those who try to exploit us.

"As we do more and more online these days, it is really important that we take simple steps to protect ourselves from criminal activities such as scams and hacking.

"Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated techniques to exploit people online and many of those who suffer losses are elderly or vulnerable people who fall victim to so-called phishing scams in which they are persuaded to hand over passwords and bank account details.

"Following simple advice can save you from falling victim to such criminals.

"For instance, never give out any personal data or bank account information to cold callers over the telephone or via an email, and never give out passwords."