Cyber scammers and other fraudsters raking in £95 a second in Britain, study finds
CYBER scammers and other fraudsters are raking in £95 a second in Britain, a study suggests.
In all, £3billion has been taken in the past year, analysis of reports to the police’s Action Fraud centre shows.
That is £8.2million a day from just the frauds that have been reported.
The National Crime Agency reckons only one in five cons are reported, meaning the true figure is likely to be as much as £15billion a year.
Analysts at payment authentication company Outseer say a fraud is reported every minute and 25 seconds.
The most common cons involve online shopping, romance fraud and financial fiddles, they found.
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The average amount lost is put at £8,100.
Outseer’s Mark Crichton said: “These numbers make for grim reading, showing fraud’s now a part of everyday life.
“Of even more concern is that the figures only scratch the surface of the true scale of the problem.
“Whether it’s fraudulent payments, brand impersonation or a dating scam, the reality is there’s a huge number of victims and the consequences can be devastating.”
