This week the City of London Police, Action Fraud and Get Safe Online will be talking to people throughout the City about cyber crime and offering advice on how they can protect themselves from online fraudsters after the release of the Crime Survey for England and Wales which has shown that 2 million people are believed to have been victims of cyber crime in England and Wales.
On Thursday 18 August, from 10.30am to 5pm, the City of London Police in partnership with Get Safe Online will host a cyber awareness event at Bishop’s Square, Spitalfields. There will be the opportunity to try out a Formula 1 racing car simulator and learn about the cutting edge technology used by Formula 1 teams to protect their cars and systems. People will also have the chance to be quizzed about their fraud and cyber knowledge using a fraud defence test designed by the City of London Police.
Victim reports by gender and age
Earlier this year a national cyber profile revealed that men lost on average almost three times as much money to cyber criminals than women between November 2014 and October 2015. The average loss for men was £2,354 compared with only £809 for women.
The report also reveals that the harm caused to victims of cyber crime increases with age, with elderly victims feeling a greater impact on their health and financial wellbeing than younger victims. The research used a total of 29,000 victim reports taken by Action Fraud during 2015. The data showed that women were six times more likely to become a victim of online shopping and auction fraud than men which suggests that fraudsters are targeting women who shop online.
Tackling online fraud in London
Most people who either live or work in the City of London use computers and mobile devices on a daily basis both at home and at work and it is therefore extremely important that residents and commuters are aware of cyber crime and how they can protect themselves.
Detective Inspector Katie Balls said: “Cyber crime is constantly on the rise and we need to do everything we can to stop online criminals from taking advantage of people in the City.
“This week of activity has been set-up to ensure that those in the City have all the knowledge they need to protect themselves.
“It has been predicted that 80% of fraud and cyber crime is preventable if individuals and businesses follow simple advice and the more people understand online criminals, the harder it is for them to take advantage.
“We welcome everyone in the City to attend the main event on Thursday and come and speak with our cyber experts so that they can learn some cyber tricks that will help them beat the criminals at their own game.”
