
According to the Crime Survey of England and Wales there were 11.8 million crimes committed in the 12 months to September 2016.
While traditional crimes such as burglary and car theft continue to fall, almost ten per cent of the adult population reports having been a victim of some form of cyber crime.The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has included for the first time "experimental statistics" about cyber crime and online fraud in its report. This means the stats are still in the “testing phase” – however they represent a decent snapshot into the current level of these crimes in these countries.
Some of the most common cyber offences reported are:
- Bank and credit account fraud - meaning criminals accessing bank accounts, credit cards or fraudulently using plastic card details
- "Advance fee fraud" - crimes where the victim has been tricked into handing over cash after a communication, such as a lottery scam
- "Non-investment fraud" - criminals conning a victim into buying something, often online, perhaps through a bogus phone call or email.
- Other frauds including investment or fake charity scams
- Unauthorised access to personal information, including hacking
- Computer virus, malware or other incidents such as "DDoS" attacks
This demonstrates how crime has changed, with fraud now the most commonly experienced offence, as still many frauds went undetected or never got to the police.
Sources: www.bbc.com - www.telegraph.co.uk