Cardiff and Birmingham are UK’s hotspots for credit and debit card fraud
An increase of fraudulent activity has been reported across the UK during the pandemic, affecting millions of Brits.
In fact, nearly one fifth, or 18 per cent, of Brits have experienced credit or debit card fraud, despite nearly three quarters of Brits believing that they would not give out any details to someone claiming to be from their bank, according to research by debt management company Lowell.
Cardiff is the most common place to experience fraud in the UK, with 51 per cent of people reporting that they have had an experience with fraud, closely followed by Birmingham at 50 per cent.
In contrast, only 15 per cent of people from Southampton reported they had experienced fraud making it the best city in the UK to avoid fraudulent scams.
The research also found that 15 per cent of Brits would be likely to click through a text link if they were contacted by someone claiming to be their bank, and 15 per cent of Brits claiming they would not do any checks to guarantee a call from their bank was legitimate.
Most common types of fraud
The ways in which Brits are being targeted is constantly changing, according to Lowell. Fraud committed using a debit or credit card has impacted the most people, with nearly one in five Brits having had an experience with it.
Other common types of fraud that affect nearly one in ten Brits include internet banking fraud (9 per cent) and text fraud (8 per cent). In addition to this, one in twenty Brits have experienced mobile banking fraud (6 per cent) and cash machine fraud (5 per cent).
The statistics show that the most common age group targeted by fraudulent activity are 16–24-year-olds, with 62 per cent of young people saying they have experienced some form of fraud.