The number of cybercrimes committed in the UK jumped last year,
driven by a huge increase in online financial fraud.
The annual
UK Cybercrime
Report from online identity firm Garlik, in collaboration with
criminologists, indicates that online financial fraud grew by
nearly 20% to 250,000 incidents in 2007, compared with 207,000 in
2006.
And Garlik warns that further increases can be expected as
more people turn to financial crime to weather the worsening
economic climate.
Overall, this year's UK Cybercrime Report concludes that more
than 3.5 million online crimes were carried out last year - a rise
of 9% on the previous year's figures.
Garlik's study also points to the growing professionalisation of
cybercrime and specifically online financial fraud.
The report reveals that Britons' personal details and stolen
identities are increasingly being traded illegally on the internet
and, in the process, fuelling a black market of personal
information, which has more than doubled.
The number of
illegal identity trading networks has grown from 27 to 57 over
the past nine months, said Garlik. So far this year more than
19,000 illicit traders have been identified.
In addition to the threat of fraud, the report says more than
two million cybercrime victims suffered abusive or threatening
e-mails, false or offensive accusations posted on websites, or
blackmail perpetrated over the internet, up from 1,944,000 in
2006.
The report suggests the growing popularity of social networking
sites has driven this, providing a widespread medium for online
harassment virtually impossible to police.
Garlik CEO Tom Ilube said, "The startling growth and
professionalisation of online financial fraud is the big story
coming out of this year's study. What we are seeing is
cybercriminals increasingly turning to ever sophisticated and
professional techniques for trading and selling personal data for
financial gain."
Read the
UK Cybercrime report >>