New figures reveal worst UK areas for fraud, as telephone thefts rise 31%

Fraud instances in Scotland have elevated by two-thirds within the final yr, in keeping with new analysis by AI and analytics chief, SAS.
Cellphone thefts throughout the UK have additionally jumped 31%, as fraudsters goal mobiles to entry confidential data and log-in credentials.
The research in contrast the variety of instances in November 2022 to November 2021, primarily based on the quantity of fraud reported by police forces to the Nationwide Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).
In line with the record, Police Scotland has had the largest enhance in fraud referrals – 1,200 in November 2022, up 67% from the identical interval in 2021.
This comes because the Nationwide Crime Company revealed that fraud is now the “mostly skilled crime within the UK.”
The NFIB receives all of Motion Fraud’s studies, that are referred from police forces and used to establish fraud incidents comparable to phishing assaults and on-line banking fraud.
Residents within the Metropolis of London skilled a 14% rise in fraud instances within the final yr, the third highest enhance throughout the UK.
Within the UK there have been 27,909 instances of fraud referred to the NFIB in November 2022 – a 5% fall when in comparison with November 2021. Regardless of this drop, fraud has typically been on the rise throughout the UK in recent times, with Motion Fraud reporting a 36% rise in fraud crimes in 2021 in comparison with 2020.
Police in Dyfed-Powys, Wales, and Humberside, Yorkshire skilled the largest drops in reported fraud.
The areas which have seen the largest enhance in fraud referrals:
1 – Police Scotland – 67% rise
2 – Gwent – 21% rise
3 – Metropolis of London – 14% rise
4 – Durham – 13% rise
5 – Gloucestershire – 8% rise
SAS additionally performed Freedom of Info requests to all metropolis police forces throughout the UK, revealing the rising downside of telephone thefts.
Liverpool had the very best enhance – with 4 instances as many telephones stolen within the final yr, in keeping with the info – 10,949, up from 2,112.
In London, there have been 44,629 instances logged in 2022 as much as November throughout all boroughs – 8% up in comparison with 2021.
The largest enhance in telephone theft throughout the UK
1 – Liverpool – 418%
2 – Coventry – 136%
3 – Wolverhampton – 129%
4 – Birmingham – 122%
5 – Cambridge – 111%
Says Daniel Marchetti, Principal Enterprise Answer Supervisor at SAS:
“As fraud points proceed to escalate throughout the UK, police forces are utilizing AI and analytics to establish potential fraud hotspots sooner and extra precisely, and uncover new strategies utilized by criminals.
“Police want to have the ability to keep on high of quickly creating tendencies, and with a scarcity of police on the entrance line, use cloud analytics to know the advanced strategies, mediums used and customary sufferer profiles in order that predictive policing that may cut back fraud.”
You’ll be able to see the complete analysis with additional regional breakdown right here: https://www.sas.com/en_