THAMES VALLEY residents are among the biggest victims of online shopping fraud in the country.
New research suggests it is the third highest policing region for losses due to scammers, with £1,900,000 clocked up so far this year.
The team at Wholesale Clearance UK contacted all 48 police forces – who reported a combined loss of £53,769,900 million overall from 75,868 reports between June 2021 and July 2022.
And residents here were the third most affected by online and auction scams, with 128 cases and an average loss of £612.
Ahead of us were Bedfordshire, which topped the charts with 149 reports filed per 100,000 and £566,500 in losses overall. There were 1,007 cases filed in total, with victims losing around £600 per case.
In joint second place is Dyfed Powys and Cambridgeshire, both with 130 reports per 100,000 people. Dyfed Powys victims collectively lost out on over £500,000, an average of nearly £800 per case.
Cambridgeshire residents collectively lost £786,100 of their hard earned cash when shopping online, which is over £700 per victim.
While still high, these figures are less than last year, with Action Fraud reporting that the area experienced £14.7 million in losses between February 2020 and March 2021.
Karl Baxter, CEO of Wholesale Clearance UK, said there were a number of things people could do to avoid becoming a victim.
They include:
Requests for bank transfers
“If you’re purchasing something online, a reputable business will never ask for a bank transfer to a private account.
“Look for safer methods, such as credit card or payment services like PayPal. And if you think you’ve been scammed, contact your bank or credit card provider immediately, so they can trace any attempts to steal money from you.
They’re asking for personal details
“Beware of people online asking for unusual information, such as your national insurance number, passwords or PINs.
“Scammers can use personal information to hack personal accounts, which could not only lead to cyber fraud and identity fraud, too.
You’ve been sent a link to a deal via an unrecognised source
“Email and social media scams are becoming more popular among scammers, who send you a link to click that supposedly takes you to a big money-off deal.
“Clicking something from an unrecognised source could infect your computer with a virus, where hackers may have access to private information such as bank details, passwords and personal information.
“Make sure you double check the email address against the company they claim to be from, check their official website if the deal exists and invest in anti-virus software.
An online retailer doesn’t provide enough information
“When purchasing something from an online retailer, there should be sufficient information on their site about privacy, terms and conditions, refunds and exchanges and contact details.
“Make sure you thoroughly sweep their website before purchasing to check it’s a reputable site.
“Another useful tip is to look for a padlock next to a website’s URL – this means the site is encrypted and details on what you browse, or payments can’t be intercepted.
“Although, don’t rely on this solely, as scammers have been known to purchase these, so other checks are necessary.”
