Cyber criminals steal over £180,000 from older people in the East of England in the space of a year
It's feared the figure could be higher due to crime going unreported.
Data obtained by Age UK via a Freedom of Information request to Action Fraud has revealed £180,111 was stolen from people aged 55 and over between April 2018 and March 2019 by cyber criminals.
In that time there were 467 incidents, but it is expected to be more as only an estimated 3% of cyber crime is reported to authorities.
According to Essex Police £126,590 was stolen from older people in the space of that time, while £56,495 was taken in Norfolk and £27,890 in Suffolk.
Although the country came to a halt due to the coronavirus crisis, cyber criminals continued at large.
According to the same figures acquired by Age UK, older people in England and Wales were scammed out of £2.4 million between 23rd March 2020 and 31st July 2020.
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, said: "Online crime is often highly sophisticated and tough to spot so anyone can be taken in, but if you are new to the internet and learned to use it in a rush, with little support, you are potentially more vulnerable to being caught out.
"No one should feel ashamed to ask for help from family and friends and for all of us, whether we are experienced computer users or not, sticking to the simple online safety rules remains tremendously important. These include being on the alert at all times for the risk of a scam, not opening attachments in emails that come from an unknown source and remembering that if we are offered an online deal that looks too good to be true it almost certainly is.
"Fraud and cybercrime can have catastrophic and life changing effects, not just financially, but on older people’s health and wellbeing. It can also have a massive impact on their confidence and can lead them to stopping going online altogether."
According to the charity the most common coronavirus-linked scams include online purchases for personal protective equipment (PPE) and phishing emails or texts claiming to be from the government, HMRC, TV Licensing and health bodies.
People can find advice and tips on how to stay safe online by visiting the Age UK website or by calling their free advice line on 0800 169 6565.