West Yorkshire tops list for being most financially impacted by fraud as victims face loses of £50 m

West Yorkshire has been revealed as one of the areas in the UK most financially impacted by fraud with the region reporting losses of over £50 million in 2023 alone, according to new data from occupational charity caba.

 Analysing scam data obtained from Action Fraud for the last calendar year, the charity revealed thatalmost 12,000 reportsof the crime were made in the county over the last year.

Online shopping and auctions made up 2424 of the scams, followed by 1051 cases of advance fee fraud and 1024 cases of other consumer non-investment fraud.

On a UK wide scale, a total of over £1.9 billion has been lost to scams in the UK, equating to £5.21 million per day. The London Metropolitan area has been revealed as the top location targeted by scammers with the region reporting losses of nearly £487 million in 2023 alone.

The situation isn’t much better outside the capital as the region of Thames Valley, covering Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire reported financial losses of nearly £80 million disappearing into the pockets of fraudsters.  

And it’s not just the Thames Valley feeling the pinch as Hampshire, Surrey, and Kent have also been identified as major fraud hotspots with a combined jaw-dropping amount of £94 million reported across Southeast England.

Despite the significant financial impact of fraud, residents in Southern areas are less likely to report being victims of scams. Areas like Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire, which experience high financial losses, are more likely to report suspicious activities.

Greater Manchester - home to cities like Manchester, Salford, and Bolton - filed 15,771 reports while West Yorkshire, with the likes of Leeds and Bradford, reported 11,943 to police.

Londoners are also reporting more scams than ever before, with 59,000 cases officially recorded with the police, marking the highest number of reports filed in 2023.

Commenting on the findings, financial wellbeing expert at caba, Lee Melling said: “The financial impact of scams can be significant and it’s important to remember the wider effect this will be having on the average Brit. Not only can scams be costly but they can also leave us feeling embarrassed, unsettled, and have a lasting impact on our confidence – which can leave us not wanting to report what has happened.

Falling victim to a scam can also leave you questioning how to handle pressure associated with fraud, including changing your financial details, liaising with your bank, and speaking to friends and family about what’s happened. If you’ve fallen victim to a scam and are struggling financially, it’s important to reach out for help and seek debt advice from professionals if necessary.

With scams becoming increasingly sophisticated, it’s important to be more vigilant and feel confident to check or challenge what you're being asked to do. Our handy acronym S.C.A.M has been created to help carry out a quick checklist to work out if a request for financial and personal information is genuine or not. This includes tips on keeping your personal or financial information safe from scammers to help those who are still unsure what to look out for and lack the confidence to check or challenge when things don’t seem quite right.”