Last updated: 2nd October 2024
Staying safe online is increasingly important in our digital world. Read our cyber security guide on what help is available to protect us against scammers.
Scammers steal millions of pounds from people each year through fraud. Today, online offences make up a larger proportion than offline, and unfortunately, this type of crime doesn’t appear to be decreasing. Cyber offences totalled a huge 61% of all fraud incidents in the year ending March 2022, having increased from 58% a year prior in 2021 and 54% in 2018[1].
Common schemes include fake shopping websites, email banking or HMRC scams. Some can even play on our heartstrings, through disaster relief cons. Fraudulent activity also moves with the times, and in recent years we’ve seen the arrival of new types of scams, including cryptocurrency and Covid-19-related cons.
With so much to watch out for, how can internet users stay safe online? We asked for your thoughts on cyber fraud and how you feel about your family and friends’ online security. Who do you worry about the most when it comes to scams, and could more be done to help people avoid them?
Our latest research has found that around one in 20 UK residents might have been scammed online in 2022 alone[2]. According to our poll of 2,000 people, 5.7% said they had been a victim, equating to more than 100 individuals.
Gender and age appeared to play some role in this. More women than men were scammed last year, with 61% of victims being female. Meanwhile, a third were aged between 40 and 54 years old – the highest percentage of all age groups. A quarter (27%) were aged 55 or over, and 24% were 25 to 39 years old. Young people aged 18 to 24 accounted for the lowest percentage of those scammed in 2022 at just 16%.
Knowing how to protect your data can help you feel more confident online. There are some things you can do, like:
Overall, more than two-thirds (68%) of survey respondents said they felt worried about their friends or family being scammed online.
The nation was most concerned about those older than them. In fact, 41% said they’re most worried about their parents falling victim to internet fraud, while a further 19% were more concerned about their grandparents than any other group. This might be because older generations account for a large percentage of online scam victims.
In contrast, just 11% claimed to be most concerned about their friends avoiding scammers. Rather, many more people have worries about their kids staying safe online. Our children are the second-highest group we fret about the most.
It’s important to stay on top of cyber security and know what things you can do to keep your online presence safe:
More than a third (34%) of parents and guardians felt most worried about their kids being scammed online compared to any other group of friends or relatives. This figure actually rose to 43% among parents or guardians of children aged 18 or over, showing that we still worry about our kids as they grow up.
Meanwhile, just one in five (21%) parents of children younger than 18 are most concerned about their kids falling victim to internet fraud. Younger children might spend less time online and many don’t have access to potentially risky websites or apps.
Consider using tools that help you manage and monitor internet access
Keeping kids safe online is something that parents and grandparents can have some control over. Employing these simple tips can help your peace of mind over your child’s safety:
Make use of parental and privacy controls - check the privacy settings on frequently used websites and adjust parental controls to suit your family
Talk to your kids about online safety, and ask them questions about what they do on the internet and which websites they visit
Discuss strangers - make sure your child knows what to share with people they’ve only met online and what to do if someone they don’t know contacts them
Look into broadband providers that offer security and safety features, such as content filters and time access restrictions.
It might feel daunting getting your children online, but there are some things you can do to make sure they are safe and only seeing content suitable for them:
You can apply website blockers that will remove any chance of your children accessing age inappropriate content. This can be applied through the family settings of your broadband provider, on your child’s devices or through your antivirus software.
You can set up parental controls on your child’s laptop through Windows 10 or Google Chrome settings.
To enable parental controls on an iPhone, use the Screen Time feature in settings to manage access and content. You can then block or limit specific apps and features on your child’s phone.
To do this, go to Settings and tap Screen Time. Tap Turn on Screen Time, then tap it again to choose "This is My [Device]" or "This is My Child's [Device]". Then turn on and personalise content and privacy restrictions.
For more details, read our full guide on broadband parental controls.
Users who regularly visit dating apps or websites were the most likely to have been a victim of cyber fraud in 2022, according to our research. More than one in four (28%) people who use these sites at least once a week fell victim to an online scam last year – many more than consistent users of any other type of website or app.
This includes regular users of both social media apps (5.3%) and e-commerce websites (4.2%). Although they only make up a small portion of cases, dating scams pose as much of a threat, with fraudsters using highly emotive language to trick victims into parting with their money.
There were 8,598 reports of dating scams recorded by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau between December 2021 and 2022, with reported losses of £97.1m across the year[3]. Perhaps surprisingly, more victims of these scams were found to be male (46%) than female (44%). Those aged 20 to 29 accounted for the highest group of dating fraud victims, followed by 50 to 59-year-olds.
Dating scams can take multiple forms. One is romance fraud, where scammers seek to build a relationship with the victim and gain their trust before trying to obtain money from them. Another is ‘sextortion’, where the victim is threatened with having explicit personal content shared in exchange for money or doing something against their will.
We asked an expert for her advice on how to stay safe while dating online and the warning signs of romance scams.
Online dating coach, Kate Taylor , advises on the steps to take while getting to know someone online: “Keep all your messaging on the online-dating app or website until you’ve met face to face. Scammers will try to lure you away from the dating platform (saying their membership is expiring), but don’t. Keep messaging on the site, so if you start to feel suspicious you can report your concerns straight away.
Check if a person is using their real photos by doing a reverse-image search using Google or TinEye. Most scammers hide behind photos stolen from other people’s social media accounts.
Never, ever give money to anyone online, especially if you’ve never met them in person. They’ll tell you heart-breaking stories about ill relatives, travel plans going wrong, business deals collapsing… Don’t feel guilty, and don’t allow yourself to feel pressured.
Dating scammers come on very strong. One minute you’re strangers, the next minute they’re in love. Remember, real feelings take time to grow. Be cynical (not just flattered) if someone declares love within days of contacting you.
They have a billion reasons why they can’t meet you in person, or they make plans to meet you but always cancel. They might also evade video calls. Be suspicious of anyone who seems happy to live out a love affair online. Genuine daters want to meet you in real life. Scammers don’t.
If you’ve been a victim of romance fraud or sextortion, Kate suggests talking to your bank right away, as many will refund lost money. She says: “Don’t let embarrassment stop you. Scammers are very persuasive, and you are not the only person to be taken in. You can also report the crime to your local police station, and talk to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.”
There are several steps you can take to keep yourself secure online:
Almost two-thirds (65%) of our survey respondents felt that their broadband provider could be doing more to protect them online[2]. So, we spoke to TechRadar about which suppliers provide security software within their deals. While many do offer virus protection and other cyber security features, it won’t necessarily come as standard in all packages.
TechRadar found that providers such as BT, Plusnet, TalkTalk and Sky all include some security features in their broadband products, while other suppliers such as Virgin Media, EE and Vodafone had optional packages for customers. But, experts suggest doing your own research before you buy and ensuring you have the right protection for you.
Every device connected to your WiFi network has a unique IP address and MAC address, and you should be able to see a list of connected devices or ‘clients’ in the settings page of your wireless router. Your devices might be called something like ‘Sarah’s laptop’ so you’ll know which ones are yours. You can also count the number of devices and see if that matches the amount you have.
The quickest and easiest way to remove strangers from your WiFi network is to reset your password. Make sure to use a secure password. The longer and harder to guess, the safer your WiFi will be.
There are a few things you can do to protect your WiFi from hackers, like:
More and more broadband providers include some sort of security feature in their broadband packages and while this is commendable, it is important to remember that what they actually shield you from varies enormously.
“For peace of mind, we'd recommend you get separate security software protection altogether for as many individual devices as possible. This is particularly important for seamless coverage outside of your office or home.”
You can do some basic things to secure your devices:
Malware is a term for any type of malicious software used to harm or exploit. Scammers use malware to infect your computer and take personal information.
Phishing is a scam where attackers deceive people into revealing sensitive information by pretending to be people they know or reputable companies. Some phishing attacks are very sophisticated and look like communications from a legitimate company, like HMRC or Royal Mail.
If you think you might have a virus on your computer, there are some steps you can take to remove it from your device.
There are some ways you could save on your broadband spending, including:
Some providers will let you keep your email address when you switch but some will delete it, so make sure to check with your provider. Those that let you keep your email might also charge you a monthly fee for this.
It’s natural to feel wary around keeping your money safe online. But online banking is generally considered safe. Banks have precautions in place to make sure your online account is safe, like using encrypted websites, timed logouts and multi-step verification processes. Always use strong passwords when it comes to banking and note that your bank will never call you out of the blue and ask for things like your PIN number.
Yes, you still need antivirus software to protect your devices. But antivirus software can’t protect you against things like phishing attacks, so you still need to have your guard up when surfing the net.
About this data
[1] Statistics relating to the percentage of cyber fraud offences were taken from the ONS annual data on the nature of fraud and computer misuse offences from the years ending March 2018, 2019 and 2022.
[2] In order to collect the data used in this report, we conducted a survey of 2,000 UK residents via YouGov. The survey was run on 19 December 2022 and all responses were selected at random. A sample from the YouGov panel in Great Britain is used, balanced on age, gender, social grade, education and region. The results have been weighted to be representative of the population of Great Britain. All statistics featured on this page are sourced via this survey unless otherwise stated.
[3] Statistics relating to reported dating scams and associated losses were taken from a dashboard recorded by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau based on a rolling 12 months of data from Action Fraud. The data is extracted monthly and previously published data is not updated. Only fraud and cyber crime offences amounting to a crime under the Office Crime Recording rules are included. The data was filtered by cyber crime code NFIB1D - Dating Scam, accessed on Wednesday 18 January 2023.