TalkTalk and Action Fraud have ranked the most common scams affecting internet users in the UK, and online shopping comes top of the charts.
66,874 scams related to online shopping and auctions were recorded in the UK over the past 12 months, reports ISPreview. The people behind them accept electronic payment for goods, but fail to actually send them to buyers.
TalkTalk says the sites they operate through tend to be untraceable.
In second place is computer software service fraud, 45,713 cases of which have been recorded in the past year. This involves bogus tech support teams − often masquerading as employees of a big-name firm − cold-calling victims, claiming their computer is infected. They’ll then charge a fee for the made-up problem to be fixed.
In third is email and social media hacks (9,743 cases), with computer hacks (6,004 cases) and extortion (1,850 cases) completing the top five.
According to the two firms, the top 10 police force areas targeted with these scams in the last year were:
- London Metropolitan – 20,094
- West Mercia – 9,043
- Thames Valley – 5,090
- Greater Manchester – 5,058
- Devon & Cornwall – 4,448
- Hampshire – 4,105
- Kent – 4,008
- West Midlands – 3,964
- Essex – 3,956
- West Yorkshire – 3,894
Have you been targeted by scammers? How do you protect yourself? Share your thoughts @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
