Victims lose thousands as fraud crimes up by a quarter in two years

Large increases were seen in the number of scams where money is paid up front in return for the promise of cash or a job, or goods or services, that fail to materialise, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The most common fraud method was phishing messages (Image: Getty Images)

Norfolk police reported that in 2021 incidents of fraud and computer misuse increased by 17 per cent, to more than 5,328 crimes in a year, in a sign that criminals increasingly prefer using computers rather than crowbars to part victims from their money.

Estimates drawn up by the ONS using data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales – a poll of members of the public and their experiences of crime – suggested there was a further increase in fraud offences in the year to March 2022, up 25pc on two years earlier.

The dangers posed by scammers was highlighted last month when fraudsters pretending to be police officers stole £6,000 from an elderly person in north Norfolk.

During phone calls, other Norfolk victims were also encouraged to withdraw large amounts of money from their bank accounts.

One in 10 scam victims lost ?1,000 or more (Image: Getty Images)

Meanwhile a Downham Market couple lost £30,000 in an online cryptocurrency scam.

Norfolk’s chief constable has previously urged online platforms to do more to tackle the growing threat from internet fraudsters.

Paul Sanford said investigations were being hampered by a lack of timely information from platforms, including social media companies.

“I do strongly feel, yes there is a need for police to look at our response to these challenges, but the platforms on which this crime is often committed need to do their bit to prevent it happening in the first place,” he added.

The ONS survey data shows the most common fraud method was phishing messages, mostly pretending to be from a delivery company or bank.

Losses incurred by victims of fraud in England and Wales (Image: PA Graphics/Press Association Images)

Most victims who lost money – around three-quarters – had less than £250 stolen; around 14pc lost between £250 and £999; and the remaining nine per cent lost £1,000 or more.

There were 4,629 computer misuse offences in Norfolk referred to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau by Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre, in the year to March 2022, down 14pc on the previous year.

This was fuelled by a drop in reported consumer and retail fraud.