Britain faces "a potent cocktail of crimes enabled by
technology", particularly identity fraud, the government has
warned.
Much of the cybercrime targeting UK organisations comes from
overseas crime groups, according to a
new strategy document for tackling serious organised crime.
There is also growing evidence that states are sponsoring criminal
gangs to make cyberattacks, it said.
"Organised criminals are able to obtain and exchange false
identities and to use other people's identities illegitimately,"
said the document. "Identity fraud has become one of the key
enablers of other types of fraud.
"It allows organised criminals to acquire goods and services
fraudulently on an industrial scale. And it helps to put them
beyond the reach of enforcement agencies."
The use of malicious software to attack individuals, business
and government, increased by 250% in 2008, it said.
The report quoted Apacs,
the payment industry association, saying that the value of phone,
internet and mail order fraud had risen 117% between 2004 and
2008.
Online bank fraud was worth more than £52m last year, and online
fraud and other crime cost small businesses on average £800 each a
year, it said.
The government created the
Serious Organised Crime
Agency (Soca) to set up off-shore alliances to tackle foreign
crime gangs.
Last year it set up the
Police Central
E-Crime Unit to coordinate the national police response to
e-crime, and last month it set out a
new cyber security strategy that will use "white hat" hacker
teams to attack cybercriminals.