Islanders lose £700,000 as online fraud rises sharply

Islanders lose £700,000 as online fraud rises sharply

Figures compiled by the States police have revealed that 172 Islanders reported being targeted by fraudsters and scammers via the internet in the first nine months of the year, compared to 81 in 2017.

An increasing number of reports have involved fraudsters posing as banks or ‘trusted organisations’ to con victims out of money.

Twenty Islanders have lost a combined total of £736,000 so far this year, whereas 15 people lost £86,347 over the same period in 2017. Not all of the reported cases resulted in financial losses.

The Jersey Fraud Prevention Forum said that Islanders should be be ‘extra vigilant’ due to the rising number of incidents reported.

A statement released by the forum says that ‘social engineering’ – the manipulation of ordinary behaviour such as a fraudster posing as someone’s bank – was the ‘main driver’ for the increase in reports.

‘Criminals [are] tricking Islanders into parting with their personal and/or financial details by pretending to be from a trusted organisation such as a bank, the police or a utility company,’ it says.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Beechey, the forum’s chairman, said that everyone is ‘exposed to the possibility’ of being defrauded online these days.

‘Living in Jersey we can often be too trusting. We need to remember that people aren’t always who they say they are,’ he said.

‘Impersonation and deception scams are becoming commonplace. If you get a call, text, email or social media message asking you to disclose your personal or financial information, you should always double-check that the request is genuine.’

The warning is being circulated Islandwide in the forum’s latest newsletter, which is being distributed by Jersey Post to all Island homes from 12 November onwards.

A short film for social media has also been produced to advise Islanders on staying safe when buying online ahead of this year’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas period.

The forum, which was established in 2016, is a joint initiative between a number of different bodies including the States police, Jersey Financial Services Commission and Digital Jersey.

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