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Probed: The UK areas most at risk of cybercrime

Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or networks.

Cybercriminals can find a "safe" space to operate in dark web marketplaces. — © AFP PHOTO / Robyn BECK
Cybercriminals can find a "safe" space to operate in dark web marketplaces. — © AFP PHOTO / Robyn BECK

Christmas shopping was, and the January sales are, a time of huge interest to both shoppers and scammers. A new review into cybercrime hotspots has revealed Bedfordshire to be the area most at risk of cybercrime, with 2,918 cybercrimes being reported in the past 12 months alone. Cleveland takes second place on the list, whilst Staffordshire comes in third.

The study is from the Web3 platform Freename, who analysed the latest data from the UK National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre to see which police forces reported the highest levels of cybercrime as a percentage of all cybercrime and fraud reporting in the past 12 months.

Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or networks.

The UK areas most at risk of cybercrime

  1. Bedfordshire Police = 6,901
  2. Cleveland Police = 2,527
  3. Staffordshire Police = 6,332
  4. Greater Manchester Police = 16,916
  5. Warwickshire Police = 3,197
  6. Hertfordshire Constabulary = 8,125
  7. Merseyside Police = 7,120
  8. Northumbria Police = 5,995
  9. Lancashire Constabulary = 7,950
  10. Gloucestershire Constabulary = 3,283

As indicated above, 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.”

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Written By

Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news. Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

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