Fraud victims lost £17m to scams over past year

People across Lincolnshire have fallen victim to £17m worth of fraud scams over the past year.

More than 4,200 reports of the crime were made in the county over the past 12 months, Action Fraud said.

Online shopping and auctions made up 849 of the scams and 271 cases involved hacking, social media and email fraud.

On a UK scale, The Office for National Statistics found that reports of fraud across England and Wales have risen by 4% this year, compared to year-ending March 2023.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a variety of events have been held to raise awareness of digital fraud in the county.

This includes areas along the east coast, as well as in Horncastle and Sleaford.

Speakers included officers from Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) and Lincolnshire Police.

Predicted future financial savings from this work are predicted to total £81,526, LCC stated.

A report by LCC including the fraud findings from Action Fraud will go to the council's public protect and communities scrutiny committee next week.

It stated: "A new subgroup is working to support victims of fraud to ensure they do not become repeat victims and early anecdotal evidence is showing collaboration to meet the needs of individuals and maximise support."

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