Picture a crime wave so vast that if you lined up all the offences, over four in ten would be digital, from the phishing email in your inbox to the ransomware holding a hospital hostage.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, cyber crime accounted for 41% of all police-recorded crime in England and Wales
- Action Fraud reported 800,000 cyber crime incidents in 2022/23, marking a 6% increase from the previous year
- The cost of cyber crime to the UK economy was estimated at £27 billion in 2023
- Online banking fraud losses reached £459.5 million in 2022
- Authorised push payment (APP) fraud totalled £485 million in 2022, affecting 132,000 victims
- £250 million was lost to investment scams in the first half of 2023
- Action Fraud received 765,318 reports of fraud and cyber crime in 2022/23
- 78% of cyber crimes reported to police in 2023 were fraud-related
- London saw 150,000 cyber fraud reports in 2022
- 18-24 year olds made up 22% of cyber crime victims in 2022
- Women represented 52% of romance scam victims, losing average £8,500 each
- Over-65s lost £35 million to scams in 2023, averaging £10,000 per victim
- Phishing emails targeting UK users increased by 61% to 300 million in 2023
- Malware detections in the UK hit 500 million instances in 2022
- 40% of UK phishing attacks impersonated banks
Cyber crime dominated UK crime statistics with soaring financial losses and victim counts in 2023.
Financial Losses
- Online banking fraud losses reached £459.5 million in 2022
- Authorised push payment (APP) fraud totalled £485 million in 2022, affecting 132,000 victims
- £250 million was lost to investment scams in the first half of 2023
- Romance scams defrauded victims of £74 million in 2022/23
- Purchase scams accounted for 37% of all fraud reports to Action Fraud in 2023, with losses over £100 million
- Fraud losses totalled £1.2 billion from APP scams in 2022
- Ticket scams cost UK public £7.2 million in 2023
- Crypto scams defrauded 2,500 victims of £200 million in 2022/23
- Email compromise scams lost businesses £50 million in 2023
- CEO fraud averaged £100,000 per incident in UK firms
- Authorised push payment fraud losses were £570 million in 2023 H1
- Lottery scams stole £5 million from 1,000 victims in 2023
- Grant scams cost £15 million amid cost-of-living crisis
- Rental scams affected 8,000 prospective tenants, £12m loss
- Job scams reported 25,000 times, £30m stolen
Financial Losses Interpretation
In a staggering and depressingly creative act of national redistribution, the UK's cybercriminals have become the unregulated bank of Britain, using romance, fear, and a fake ticket to the big game to efficiently move over a billion pounds from our accounts into theirs.
Hacking and Data Breaches
- Data breaches reported to ICO reached 2,200 in Q1 2023
- British Airways data breach in 2018 affected 400,000 customers
- 88% of data breaches involved human error or phishing
- Marriott breach leaked 339 million guest records including UK customers
- 500,000 UK records exposed in 2023 MOVEit breach
- ICO received 8,800 data breach notifications in 2022/23
- LinkedIn data scrape exposed 92% of UK users' data in 2021
- 1.5 million records stolen in Capita breach 2023
- SQL injection caused 30% of web app breaches in UK
- Electoral register data of 40 million Brits leaked online 2023
- Experian breach 2017 exposed 15m UK records
- 400,000 pension records hacked in 2023
- DDoS attacks downed 1,000 UK sites daily in 2023
- Zero-day exploits used in 20% of breaches
- Twitter API breach leaked 200m user emails incl UK
Hacking and Data Breaches Interpretation
Despite a daily deluge of digital disasters, from pension pots to passport numbers, the UK's cyber security reality remains stubbornly human, where a single click often opens the floodgates for millions.
Incident Reports
- Action Fraud received 765,318 reports of fraud and cyber crime in 2022/23
- 78% of cyber crimes reported to police in 2023 were fraud-related
- London saw 150,000 cyber fraud reports in 2022
- 1 in 2 UK adults were targeted by phishing in 2023, leading to 400,000 reports
- Ransomware incidents reported to the NCSC rose to 1,000 in 2023
- 843,000 fraud reports to Action Fraud in 2023
- Cyber-dependent crimes made up 20% of total crime in 2023
- Scotland reported 45,000 cyber crimes in 2022/23
- Northern Ireland cyber fraud up 15% to 20,000 cases
- Wales saw 60,000 online fraud incidents in 2023
- West Midlands Police logged 80,000 cyber crimes
- Greater Manchester cyber fraud up 25% to 70,000 cases
- South Yorkshire reported 30,000 phishing incidents
- Avon and Somerset saw 25% rise in BEC scams
- Merseyside cyber crime reports hit 40,000
Incident Reports Interpretation
These numbers paint a bleak but clear picture: the UK is in a state of digital siege, where every other inbox is a trap, every region is a battlefield, and our collective online life is now the criminal's primary hunting ground.
Law Enforcement Actions
- 14,500 arrests for cyber crime in 2022/23 by UK police
- NCA seized £150 million in cyber crime assets in 2023
- 1,200 cyber crime prosecutions by CPS in 2022
- Operation Power OFF disrupted 50 cyber gangs in 2023
- £10 million invested in National Cyber Crime Unit in 2023
- Metropolitan Police arrested 2,000 for cyber offences in 2023
- £250 million frozen in fraud accounts by PSR in 2023
- 300 convictions for computer misuse act violations
- Europol-led Op Guardian dismantled 20 UK cyber rings
- NCCU identified 100 priority cyber criminals in 2023
- City of London Police recovered £50m for victims
- 500 international arrests via NCA extraditions
- Computer Misuse Act charges up 40% to 1,500
- Op Falcon nabbed 100 mule accounts holders
- £5m funding for cyber crime victim support 2023
Law Enforcement Actions Interpretation
Even with over 14,500 arrests and £150 million seized, the UK's cyber crackdown feels like a high-stakes game of whack-a-mole, where for every 50 gangs disrupted and £250 million frozen, there's another priority criminal being identified and another million needed for victim support.
Phishing and Malware
- Phishing emails targeting UK users increased by 61% to 300 million in 2023
- Malware detections in the UK hit 500 million instances in 2022
- 40% of UK phishing attacks impersonated banks
- Spear-phishing attacks on businesses rose 20% to 50,000 cases in 2023
- Android malware targeting UK users saw 150,000 samples in 2023
- Vishing calls targeted 70% of UK businesses in 2023
- Smishing SMS attacks up 300% to 100,000 in UK 2023
- Keyloggers detected in 20,000 UK devices monthly
- Business email compromise via malware hit 5,000 firms
- Emotet malware variant infected 10,000 UK systems in 2023
- QR code phishing (quishing) up 500% in UK 2023
- Credential stuffing attacks hit 1 billion logins
- Spyware infections rose 30% to 50,000 cases
- Fake parcel delivery phishing topped 200,000 reports
- Adware affected 15% of mobile devices
Phishing and Malware Interpretation
The UK's digital landscape in 2023 was a masterclass in unwelcome innovation, where criminals, not content with merely phishing 300 million inboxes, decided to also smish, quish, and vish their way through every conceivable channel, proving that if you build a better digital mousetrap, the mice will just use a billion stolen logins to jimmy the lock.
Ransomware
- 72% of UK organisations faced ransomware attacks in 2023
- NHS England suffered 1,675 ransomware-linked email attacks in 2022
- Average ransomware payout in UK was £500,000 in 2023
- 65% of ransomware victims paid the ransom, recovering only 60% of data
- Public sector ransomware incidents doubled to 200 in 2023
- LockBit ransomware claimed 40% of UK attacks in 2023
- Education sector hit by 25% of ransomware, costing £20 million recovery
- Conti ransomware group extorted £10 million from UK victims
- 50% of ransomware attacks used double extortion tactics
- Manufacturing sector paid average £1 million ransom in 2023
- BlackCat ransomware extorted £5m from UK healthcare
- 40% recovery time post-ransomware averaged 24 days
- Hive ransomware disrupted 30 UK councils
- Ransom demands averaged £600,000 for SMEs
- 70% of victims backed up data, reducing payouts 50%
Ransomware Interpretation
The data paints a grimly efficient picture: British organizations are now virtually guaranteed to be held for digital ransom, with our critical services and industries funding the very criminal enterprises that disrupt them, all while discovering that paying up is a costly and disappointingly partial solution.
Trends and Overall Statistics
- In 2023, cyber crime accounted for 41% of all police-recorded crime in England and Wales
- Action Fraud reported 800,000 cyber crime incidents in 2022/23, marking a 6% increase from the previous year
- The cost of cyber crime to the UK economy was estimated at £27 billion in 2023
- 52% of UK businesses experienced a cyber attack in 2023, up from 31% in 2022
- Phishing attacks rose by 148% in the UK during 2022
Trends and Overall Statistics Interpretation
The digital realm has become Britain's most prolific crime scene, where nearly half of all police reports now involve a keyboard, phishing emails are multiplying like digital rabbits, and the annual bill for this virtual crime wave is a staggering twenty-seven billion pounds, proving that the most expensive things in the UK aren't just castles and crowns, but also clicks and cons.
Victim Demographics
- 18-24 year olds made up 22% of cyber crime victims in 2022
- Women represented 52% of romance scam victims, losing average £8,500 each
- Over-65s lost £35 million to scams in 2023, averaging £10,000 per victim
- Small businesses (under 50 employees) comprised 43% of cyber breach victims
- 30% of cyber crime victims were from deprived areas in England
- 25-34 year olds were 28% of victims, averaging £3,500 loss
- Ethnic minorities over-represented at 25% of victims despite 14% population
- Self-employed victims lost £150 million in 2023
- Rural victims reported 10% higher scam rates
- Men aged 35-44 were 18% of victims
- Londoners 40% more likely to be scammed
- Charities lost £10m to cyber fraud
- Students comprised 15% of victims, £5m loss
- Disabled adults 2x more likely to be targeted
Victim Demographics Interpretation
While the digital age offers a buffet of opportunity, it serves up a particularly grim special for the young and lovelorn, ruthlessly targets the wisdom and savings of our elders, disproportionately impacts the small, the self-made, and the already vulnerable, and proves that geography, wealth, and background are no defence against a predator with a keyboard.
Sources & References
- Reference 1GOVgov.ukVisit source
- Reference 2ACTIONFRAUDactionfraud.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 3PKFSMITHCOOPERpkfsmithcooper.comVisit source
- Reference 4APWGapwg.orgVisit source
- Reference 5UKFINANCEukfinance.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 6NATIONALCRIMEAGENCYnationalcrimeagency.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 7ONSons.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 8CITYOFLONDONcityoflondon.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 9GETSAFEONLINEgetsafeonline.orgVisit source
- Reference 10NCSCncsc.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 11AGEUKageuk.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 12PROOFPOINTproofpoint.comVisit source
- Reference 13AV-TESTav-test.orgVisit source
- Reference 14ZDNETzdnet.comVisit source
- Reference 15SOPHOSsophos.comVisit source
- Reference 16BBCbbc.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 17HISCOXhiscox.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 18ICOico.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 19VERIZONverizon.comVisit source
- Reference 20CPScps.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 21FCAfca.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 22GOVgov.scotVisit source
- Reference 23PSNIpsni.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 24GOVgov.walesVisit source
- Reference 25FSBfsb.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 26RURALCRIMEruralcrime.ukVisit source
- Reference 27MALWAREBYTESmalwarebytes.comVisit source
- Reference 28FTCftc.govVisit source
- Reference 29EUROPOLeuropol.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 30JISCjisc.ac.ukVisit source
- Reference 31CROWDSTRIKEcrowdstrike.comVisit source
- Reference 32HISCOXGROUPhiscoxgroup.comVisit source
- Reference 33THEREGISTERtheregister.comVisit source
- Reference 34OWASPowasp.orgVisit source
- Reference 35THEGUARDIANtheguardian.comVisit source
- Reference 36METmet.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 37PSRpsr.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 38RIGHTMOVErightmove.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 39REEDreed.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 40WEST-MIDLANDSwest-midlands.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 41GMPOLICEgmpolice.ukVisit source
- Reference 42SOUTHYORKSHIREsouthyorkshire.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 43AVONANDSOMERSETavonandsomerset.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 44MERSEYSIDEmerseyside.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 45NCVOncvo.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 46NUSnus.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 47SCOPEscope.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 48AKAMAIakamai.comVisit source
- Reference 49KASPERSKYkaspersky.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 50ROYALMAILroyalmail.comVisit source
- Reference 51AVGavg.comVisit source
- Reference 52BLEEPINGCOMPUTERbleepingcomputer.comVisit source
- Reference 53COBALTcobalt.ioVisit source
- Reference 54LOCALlocal.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 55BCSbcs.orgVisit source
- Reference 56VEEAMveeam.comVisit source
- Reference 57PENSIONS-EXPERTpensions-expert.comVisit source
- Reference 58CLOUDFLAREcloudflare.comVisit source
- Reference 59MANDIANTmandiant.comVisit source
- Reference 60TECHCRUNCHtechcrunch.comVisit source
