Avon and Somerset area paid £2.3m to fraudsters during pandemic
The region is one of the top twenty in the country for online bank fraud over the past year
Last updated 18th May 2021
Bank account fraudsters conned victims out of £2.3million in the Avon & Somerset Police area throughout the pandemic, new figures reveal.
Crooks used lockdown to target vulnerable residents and trick them into handing over personal details and cash.
Data obtained from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau found that 571 residents in the region were victims of online bank fraud or the use of payment cards and cheques that were stolen, forged or cloned between April 2020 and March this year.
It places Avon & Somerset 15th worst out of 44 forces in the country for finance fraud and cost each of those targeted in the area an average of £4,028.
July 2020 was the worst month with 67 victims compared with September which saw the fewest at 31.
Nationally the con artists reaped more than £161million from 25,717 cases.
The Metropolitan Police topped the list ahead of Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Thames Valley, Kent and West Yorkshire, while Cleveland Police had the fewest cases.
The figures were analysed by MoneyTransfers.com which has issued four top tips to safeguard your money.