Police Scotland have been urged to play a larger role in helping victims of cybercrime, as a new report says those affected often don't report incidents due to a lack of faith in the force.
Research by Strathclyde University surveyed 380 victims, including detailed interviews with 10 of them, and found only 6.6% of people who experienced bank detail theft, 2.1% of victims who received a scam email and 1.8% of those affected by a phone call scam reported the incidents to the police.
Some resolved the situation themselves by reporting it to their bank but many of these people assumed that banks would report the crime themselves after having reimbursed them.
Many of those interviewed were reluctant to report because they blamed themselves for the incidents. The researchers suggest that this could be a consequence of a ‘responsibilisation’ approach by governments, in which citizens are given advice only on protecting themselves from cybercrime and often feel that responsibility for prevention lies solely with them, rather than jointly with the state.
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One of the victims the researchers spoke to was looking to buy a used car online. Despite practising extensive due diligence to verify an advertisement, the vehicle never arrived after he transferred £5240.
He said the police “said absolutely nothing that was helpful,” except to direct him to the Action Fraud reporting centre. Furthermore, he claimed the Fraud Department in Scotland did not want to record the incident as a fraud, because they believed it technically happened in England.
In another case, the victim received a phone call, purporting to be from HMRC, alleging she had an outstanding debt. She called HMRC, which confirmed it had not called her, but she subsequently also received a letter claiming to be from the agency. She was advised to report the incident to the Fraud Squad, which in turn advised her to hand the letter as evidence to her local police; however, she ultimately did not do so, as she found the police station to be “unmanned” with no one on the desk.
The study recommends that, as a priority, Police Scotland should make clear to communities that it can be relied upon in cases of economic cybercrime.
Dr Juraj Sikra, a Research Assistant in Strathclyde’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences, and the lead author of the paper, said: “Solutions for cybersecurity largely rest on the shoulders of the civilian population and the private companies that supply the solutions, and citizens often don't have the knowledge of what is suitable.
“A vulnerable person is more susceptible to cybercrime and they might stop engaging with the cyber domain entirely, because they don't feel safe. While there are limited resources, there needs to be emphasis on understanding that people who commit crime are very creative and we’re all susceptible to being victims of this.
“Police could form a more strategic alliance with banks at local level and assume more responsibility in awareness-raising campaigns. Dealing with this crime can increase the reporting of other crimes if it increases trust towards the police but cybercrime can be effectively mitigated only in a society that is socially interconnected, as it thrives where there is social isolation.
“Fighting cybercrime also presents new opportunities for international collaboration amid an increasingly fragmented geopolitical landscape. Countries which may not see eye to eye on political matters can be brought to collaborate on supranational issues affecting vulnerable populations.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We welcome academic research as a perspective for us to consider when developing our service in this growing area of criminality.
“Anyone who has been the victim of cybercrime or online fraud should not feel embarrassed or ashamed as criminals can be extremely persuasive in their style, tone and approach to make you believe they are genuine. Local policing and specialist officers will carry out robust investigations to try and find those responsible.
"Our Vision 2030 includes ‘Supported Victims’ and we have a programme of change improving and implementing our approach for cyber and fraud. This includes the creation of a Cyber and Fraud command, enabling greater UK wide collaboration with enhanced victim focus, and access to interventions and disruption opportunities. We recently reported our progress in this programme to the SPA Performance Committee which is publicly available and can be viewed online.
"Police Scotland engages with banks and payment providers in support of the banking protocol which exists to prevent fraud and safeguard potential victims, working collaboratively to investigate fraud crimes and enhance our knowledge of current fraud and cybercrime trends. This is facilitated on a weekly basis with Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland, Police Scotland and Banking institutes and has proved highly effective at supporting victims, recovering money and prosecuting offenders.
"We are a member of the Cyber Scotland Partnership and work with all partners to raise awareness and prevent crimes being committed.”
