Cyber criminals con older people in Sussex out of more than £90k
There's concern over an increase in reports since lockdown began
Older people in Sussex lost over £90,000 to cybercriminals last year, according to new data acquired by the charity Age UK.
A Freedom of Information request to Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting centre, found that Sussex Constabulary received 182 reports of cybercrime between April 2018 and March 2019 from people aged 55 and over.
Cybercrime, or computer orientated crime, can take many forms but some of the most common examples are phishing, investment fraud, identity theft, fraudulent adverts, and blackmail. This could be a handbag that never materialises, a cryptocurrency investment or an online auction site scam.
Older people who became victims of these crimes in Sussex reported a total loss of £91,968 during that period. They made up 28% of the overall number of cybercrime victims in the area.
However, as it is estimated that only 3% of cybercrime is reported to authorities, the actual figures are likely to be much higher.
Age UK statistics acquired from Action Fraud also revealed older people in England and Wales were scammed out of over £2.4m during lockdown because of COVID-19 related fraud.
There were 3,162 COVID-19 related fraud and cybercrime reports made to Action Fraud between March 23rd 2020 and July 31st 2020. 701 of those reports had a victim aged 55 and over, which accumulated to £2.4 million in reported losses.
The majority of the fraud linked to coronavirus involves online purchases for personal protective equipment (PPE), such as face masks, that never arrive.
Criminals have also been sending phishing emails and texts claiming to be from the Government, HMRC, BBC TV licencing and health bodies to convince the recipient to open links or attachments and get them to reveal personal or financial information.
To help raise awareness of the problem, Age UK has created an interactive map outlining how many cybercrimes against older people were reported in each regional police force and the amount of money lost.
The map reveals the worst affected region outside of London was Dorset, where cyber criminals stole £277,902 from older people. Nationally, the total loss reported from these crimes is £4,025,813.
More and more older people have been going online to work, shop and keep in touch with friends and family. During lockdown many have felt forced to go online to stay connected but often without the proper support and guidance that they may want and need. Those that were isolated or needed help getting essential shopping may be doing so for the first time which could put them at extra risk. Age UK is warning older people across the country to be extra vigilant and providing advice to support them.
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, said: “During lockdown the majority of us relied on the internet to stay connected and we know that some older people were also encouraged to go online for the first time.
"That's hopefully something they have enjoyed and benefited from and will want to continue now lockdown is being eased. However, unfortunately we also know that cybercriminals were very active in exploiting the situation, seeking to con older people out of their hard-earned cash.
"Online crime is often highly sophisticated and tough to spot so anyone can be taken in, but if you are new to the internet and learned to use it in a rush, with little support, you are potentially more vulnerable to being caught out.
“No one should feel ashamed to ask for help from family and friends and for all of us, whether we are experienced computer users or not, sticking to the simple online safety rules remains tremendously important. These include being on the alert at all times for the risk of a scam, not opening attachments in emails that come from an unknown source and remembering that if we are offered an online deal that looks too good to be true it almost certainly is."