Cyber crime more feared than burglary

Cyber crime is more of a worry to people than house burglary.

Neighbourhood Watch says 39% of its members say the online threat is now a bigger fear in local communities than more traditional crimes.

Members of the organisation – originally set up to protect against community based crimes like burglary and thefts – have become increasingly concerned with cyber crime, and 32% believe the internet is a more dangerous place than before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

The survey found that almost one in five respondents have fallen victim to cyber crime during the Covid-19 outbreak, with 36% of this group losing money.

A further 39% of the 28,000 members polled had experienced an increase in the number of targeted phishing attempts, reinforcing public concerns about the growth in cyber crime and Covid’s impact on internet safety.

John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch said, “Neighbourhood Watch was originally founded to help peopleprotect themselves and their communities.

“While traditionally people view Neighbourhood Watch as largely focused on physical crime such as burglary and theft, over recent years our members recognise the very real threat that cyber crime poses to themselves, their friends, family and neighbours.

"We’ve heard countless stories from our members about the increase in scams, phi shin ga nd hacking they’ ve been subjected to, with a significant portion feeling more at risk of cyber crime than physical crime.”