Londoners 'disproportionately' affected by fraud

"We've seen an acceleration in people using technology to enable fraud it allows [them] to target a much wider number of people, and then it's a numbers game. It also puts more barriers between us and them and obfuscates who they really are. [With] the 'Hi Mum' scams over text message, there's the potential to use technology to turn that into a realistic voice, so people will be more easily manipulated."

"London, we think, is disproportionately affected by [cyber crime]. He also laid out the possibility that there may not need to be a human manually carrying out scams on victims once they engage with mass phishing or fraud messages."

"Many 'basic frauds' are still effective, but fraudsters will 'use systems to increase the surface area of their attack'. It's always shifting and changing, with a 'fraud arms race' ongoing between criminals and law enforcement."

Fraud accounts for 41% of all crimes across England and Wales, with London disproportionately affected. Senior police officials report that 40% of fraud victims nationally are in the capital, including 60% of courier fraud cases. Criminals increasingly use AI and technology to enhance scams, allowing them to target wider audiences while obscuring their identities. Traditional scams like 'Hi Mum' text frauds are evolving with realistic voice technology. Police describe an ongoing 'fraud arms race' where criminals continuously adapt tactics faster than public awareness and law enforcement can respond. Automated systems may soon eliminate the need for human involvement in executing scams once victims engage with phishing or fraud messages.

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