Islanders lose £300,000 to scams in the first three months of 2022 almost the total lost in 2021
The Jersey Fraud Prevention Forum (The Forum) are raising awareness on the latest fraud and scams targeting local residents in their latest Island wide newsletter being delivered too all homes across the Island next week.
Since the beginning of the year, the States of Jersey Police have received reports of 19 scams resulting in the combined financial loss of almost £300,000. This is close to the total amount lost through the whole of 2021. The biggest losses have been seen in investment, Cryptocurrency and advance fee scams.
Charity scams and cyber-threats have also been on the rise due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed in response.
Forum Chairman, Chief Inspector Chris Beechey is reminding Islanders to stay alert and to continue to report scams to the Police and members of the Forum:
“This year we have seen a significant rise in the total amount of monetary loss experienced by local residents due to fraud and scams. Fraudsters are constantly evolving the way they target victims, which is why we want to encourage Islanders to remain cautious and to seek as much advice and guidance as possible as to how they can protect themselves against scammers.
As the year continues, we hope Islanders will remain alert and think twice when they get a suspicious message, email or phone call. We encourage Islanders to challenge any communications they suspect may not be legitimate and to report them.”
The Forum's message to Islanders is to report suspicions of fraud, or attempted fraud, to the Forum and to contact their banks and the Police on 612 612 if they have experienced financial loss.
Fraud and scam statistics:
Type of scam & Total financial loss so far in 2022:
- Advance Fee Scams £70,000
- Cryptocurrency Scams £67,100
- Fraudulent marketing investment £60,00
- Savings at Risk Scams £25,700
- Parcel Delivery Scams £19,698
- Romance Scams £10,000
- Others (WhatsApp Scams, Investment Scams, Facebook Property Rental Scams, Instagram Money Making scams, Online Shopping Scams, Fake Charity Scams, Sextortion Scams) £14,161
- Total £266,65
Jersey Fraud Prevention Forum Press Release