Police team helping to pull plug on cyber crime

Police have created a new unit to help crack down on the growing trend in cyber crime.

The team, which is made up of specially trained detectives, will intercept criminals who use the internet to commit crimes such as fraud.

They will disrupt the offenders by making arrests, seizing equipment, and prosecuting them.

Officers will also gather intelligence about methods used and stay up to date with the latest threats, viruses and scams as well as briefing other members of police staff about the trends.

The team of four officers, who will be based at the force’s headquarters in Maidstone, will work as part of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate with another team based in Essex.

Head of the Kent unit DI Lee Morton said: “Emerging crime patterns and trends over the last year or so have pointed towards a substantial growth in this type of offence and our unit is in place to respond to that.

“Indeed, Kent Police has received more than 8,000 reports of fraud, involving the loss of some £12 million in the last six months alone.

“Small businesses are particularly vulnerable as they may be unable to invest in computer protection in the same way a large company can.

“I would urge all companies and organisations to train staff in cyber security.”

In February, KentOnline reported how a woman was seduced by a fake online avatar on the dating app Tinder.

And it was also reported that more than 3,000 people across the county became victims of cyber crimes in the space of five months last year.

In order to keep internet users safe the team has released a list of things to do.

They include downloading software updates as soon as they are available, deleting suspicious emails and using anti-virus software.