Warwickshire Cyber Crime Survey 2019

Overview

Welcome to the third Warwickshire cyber crime survey, carried out by Warwickshire County Council in partnership with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. The last survey, conducted in 2017, found that an estimated £8,848,300 had been lost by Warwickshire adults as a result of cyber crime.

Since this survey, Warwickshire has increased its response to cyber crime. Highlights include:

• The development of the Cyber Safe Warwickshire website and social media, keeping residents up to date with the latest cyber crime information and protection advice.
• A Game Safe Warwickshire event, which engaged hundreds of Year 9 students across the county in a session tackling the topics of online grooming and gaming safety.
• Over 4,100 residents engaged with by Warwickshire's Cyber Crime Advisors in 2018/19, educating them on their top tips to reduce their risk of harm from cyber crime.
• Enforcement work from Trading Standards has led to the prosecutions of a gentleman for the online supply of unsafe and counterfeit phone chargers and cases and a producer of fraudulent qualification certificates and work permits sold online. Additional investigations have also cracked down on online sales of fake jewellery, online lettings agents, food ordering services and teeth whitening sellers.  

For those interested in seeing what else the Cyber Safe Warwickshire Partnership have been up to in 2018/19, please read our Annual Achievements Report.

Cyber crime is still largely under-reported to the likes of Action Fraud and Warwickshire Police. This survey will help us see which cyber crimes are taking place in Warwickshire, covering issues relating to both cyber security (including viruses, frauds and hacking); and social media issues (such as hate speech, stalking and revenge porn). Anyone affected by cyber crime can contact Victim Support locally on 01926 682 693. Practical advice can be sought by contacting our Cyber Crime Advisors by emailing communitysafety@warwickshire.gov.uk This email address can also be used for any queries relating to this survey.