With Christmas almost here, and shoppers dashing for their last minute gifts, new research has revealed the UK areas most at risk of cybercrime. This review finds Bedfordshire coming out on top. Bedfordshire is a county located in the East of England.
The study coes from Web3 platform Freename, who analysed the latest data from the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre to see which UK police forces reported the highest levels of cybercrime as a percentage of all cybercrime and fraud reporting in the past 12 months.
The UK areas most at risk of cybercrime
| Rank | Police force | Total reports of all fraud and cyber crimes (past 12 months) | Cyber crimes reported | Percentage of cyber crime as total |
| 1 | Bedfordshire Police | 6,901 | 2,918 | 42.28% |
| 2 | Cleveland Police | 2,527 | 456 | 18.05% |
| 3 | Staffordshire Police | 6,332 | 1,025 | 16.19% |
| 4 | Greater Manchester Police | 16,916 | 2,675 | 15.81% |
| 5 | Warwickshire Police | 3,197 | 501 | 15.67% |
| 6 | Hertfordshire Constabulary | 8,125 | 1,266 | 15.58% |
| 7 | Merseyside Police | 7,120 | 1,103 | 15.49% |
| 8 | Northumbria Police | 5,995 | 926 | 15.45% |
| 9 | Lancashire Constabulary | 7,950 | 1,214 | 15.27% |
| 10 | Gloucestershire Constabulary | 3,283 | 496 | 15.11% |
the review found that the Bedfordshire area is most at risk of cybercrime. Of the total 6,901 cases reported to Bedfordshire Police, an impressive 2,918 were cybercrimes, or 42.28 percent.
Cleveland takes second place on the list, with Cleveland Police reporting 2,527 fraud and cybercrimes in the past 12 months, with 456, or 18.05 percent, being cybercrimes.
Coming in third place is Staffordshire. Staffordshire Police data shows that of the 6,332 total fraud and cyber-crimes reported in the past 12 months, 1,025, or 16.19 percent, were cybercrimes.
Taking fourth place in the top ten is Greater Manchester. The study found that 2,675, or 15.81 percent, of the 2,675 total fraud and cybercrime cases reported by Greater Manchester Police in the past 12 months were exclusively from cybercrimes.
Rounding out the top five is Warwickshire. Warwickshire Police reported 3,197 fraud and cybercrimes in the past 12 months, and of this total, 501, or 15.67 percent, were just from cybercrimes.
Commenting on the findings, Davide Vicini, CEO at Freename, tells Digital Journal: “Scams in general are getting a lot more sophisticated these days, with many attempting to manipulate victims by disguising themselves as platforms we use every day. This, alongside some scammers even beginning to use AI to trick people, is an important reason to stay vigilant online, and this can be done by doing things like double-checking links you click, keeping strong passwords, and always attempting to find as much information as possible about who is using your data.”
