Online fraud ‘most common crime’

Online fraud is now the most common crime in the country with new figures showing one in ten people have fallen victim to it.

Data from the annual Crime Survey of England and Wales shows more than five-and-a-half million cyber offences take place each year - nearly 50 per cent of all crime in the country.

The total number of all offences in the 12 months to September topped 11.8 million. 3.6 million of these were fraud and further two million were related to computer misuse.

The next most common offence was theft with 3.5 million cases, while there were 1.2 million incidents of criminal damage and 1.3 million offences of violence against the person.

Victims of online fraud, which includes businesses, typically have their bank account or credit card details taken before their money is stolen.

Lucy Hastings, director at the independent charity Victim Support, said:“We know that cybercrime and fraud can have a devastating impact, both financially and emotionally, on victims’ lives.

"Many victims blame themselves or feel too embarrassed to come forward and get help but this shouldn’t be the case.

"We want to encourage people to seek the help they may need and get the justice they deserve."

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