Latest figures show a dramatic increase in scams since before the pandemic
(Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)New data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that half of adults reported receiving a “phishing” message within the span of a month.
Those aged 25 to 44 years are most likely to be targeted, according to results from the telephone-operated Crime Survey of England and Wales (TCSEW).
The numbers also show a dramatic increase since March 2020, highlighting that scammers have taken to exploiting significant events, such as the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
There is also evidence of fraudsters taking advantage of widespread behavioural changes because of the pandemic, such as the rise in online shopping.
This includes a 900 per cent rise in what’s known as advance-fee fraud, where victims make upfront payments for goods or services which then never appear, and a 57 per cent rise in consumer and retail fraud, from pre-pandemic levels.
This comes amid a general rise in fraud, with a 25 per cent rise from pre-pandemic levels (that totals around 4.5 million offences) in the year to March 2022. Almost two-thirds of these were flagged as cyber-related attacks.
In one month, more than 700,000 people across England and Wales replied to or clicked on a phishing-attack link, and 80,000 of them then provided personal information that could be exploited by cyber criminals.
What is phishing?
Traditionally sent via email, phishing involves messages from fraudsters posing as legitimate organisations to extract personal information, or money, from the victim.
In the past couple of years, phishing scams have tended to be linked to timely issues, such as Covid-19 or the rising cost of living. Indeed, 4.8 per cent of all fraud was confirmed to be related to the pandemic, rising to 6.3 per cent of all cyber fraud.
Common scams involve texts alerting victims to supposedly being in contact with someone who tested positive for a variant. The text, claiming to be from the NHS, then prompts users to provide personal information and pay a delivery fee for a test.
Other scams mimic genuine government support in the face of the cost-of-living crisis, offering energy and council-tax rebates or encouraging people to apply for a “cost-of-living payment”.
“Phishing scams continue to pose a significant threat for both individuals and businesses,” said Det Chief Supt Oliver Shaw, of the City of London Police, in a statement. “I would urge everyone to be vigilant of unexpected messages or calls that ask for your personal or financial information. Remember, your bank, or any official source, will never ask you to supply personal information via email or text message.”
Some scams will even include Ofgem or major bank logos, to appear even more convincing.
WhatsApp is also a key tool in these kinds of scams, where scammers will pose as family members in order to prompt victims to send money.
This growing trend, of combining social media and psychological tactics, makes for even more convincing scams than ever, reflected in the rising number of such crimes.
“As the pandemic pushed more consumers towards online shopping and services, cybercriminals were hot on their heels,” said Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer at NordVPN. “A staggering 900 per cent rise in advance-fee fraud shows how adaptable cyber criminals have become.
“Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis have been honeypots for fraudsters, giving rise to increasingly cynical ploys to separate victims from their money. These types of attacks are here to stay and much more needs to be done to educate people about the threat of phishing and online fraud, and that work should start in schools.”
