Age UK reveals Hampshire in the top 10 worst areas for cyber crime against older people

A CHARITY has unveiled the shocking extent to which older people living in Hampshire have been swindled out of thousands of pounds as a result of online fraud.
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Age UK revealed data obtained from Action Fraud – the national fraud reporting centre – showed Hampshire residents over the age 55 lost a total of £136,842 last year as result of cyber crime.

This placed Hampshire seventh nationally in the ten worst hot-spots for cyber crime against older victims.

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London topped the list with £720,795 defrauded from people over 55 followed by Dorset and Staffordshire with totals of £277,902 and £258,144 respectively. In total, older people across the UK were victims to over £4m of online fraud.

Age UK has unveiled Hampshire is one of the worst places in the country for cyber crime against older people.Age UK has unveiled Hampshire is one of the worst places in the country for cyber crime against older people.
Age UK has unveiled Hampshire is one of the worst places in the country for cyber crime against older people.

The figures were based on the financial year 2018 to 2019.

But data obtained for the period March 23 to July 31 suggested the situation was exacerbated during lockdown.

Older people swindled out of a further £2.4m during this period.

Age UK director, Caroline Abrahams, said: ‘During lockdown, the majority of us relied on the internet to stay connected and we know that some older people were also encouraged to go online for the first time.

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‘However, unfortunately we also know that cyber criminals were very active in exploiting the situation, seeking to con older people out of their hard-earned cash.

‘Online crime is often highly sophisticated and tough to spot so anyone can be taken in, but if you are new to the internet and learned to use it in a rush, with little support, you are potentially more vulnerable to being caught out.

The majority of lockdown fraud involved the online purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as face masks, that never arrived as well as scam emails claiming to be from official health bodies.

For help cal lAge UK’s free line on 0800 169 65 65 or see ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/scams-fraud

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