Online retailer Perfume Oasis have analysed the most recent data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, and have uncovered the areas of the East Midlands which received the most reports and which fared better.
Lincolnshire Police received 781 complaints of online shopping and auction fraud between July 2023 and July 2024, with a cost to victims of £649 thousand in total. This was the lowest number of cases in the region, with Northamptonshire police dealing with 906 cases.
Nottinghamshire Police received 1,246 reports, with losses totalling £926,000, which accounts for almost a quarter of the £3.7million lost and roughly one 5th of the total cases for the region.
They were followed closely by Leicestershire Police with 1,106 cases and Derbyshire with 1087 reports received.
Nationally, there were 64,907 cases reported and a total of £108.2million taken from victims over the 12 month period. Tamas Bozsar from Perfume Oasis discussed the analysis, sharing his concerns on the scale of the issue.
“No matter how experienced, it’s not hard to be caught out with a lot of sophisticated scams out there and as the data shows, the average amount taken can range between £800 and £1500 pounds. This could be devastating to families during a cost-of-living crisis, so it’s worth being extra vigilant any time you’re using a new retailer.”
He went on to offer some advice on ways to make sure your online shopping experience is as safe as possible, adding, “Make sure to check reviews for the site, and that their payment methods offer you some protection as a buyer as some methods such as credit cards offer more protection than others. Payment services such as Klarna and Paypal will complete checks on businesses before accepting payments for them so this can also be an important trust signal. Additionally, taking the time to ensure the business is registered on companies house, and has a contact number you can reach out to in case of any issues can give you some extra peace of mind.”