September 7, 2009 by James Oliver
The small County Durham town of Shildon has been named the fraud hotspot for the UK, according to a report from security company, ‘The Third Man’. The report reveals that a staggering 24% of all internet purchases in the Shildon area were made with illicitly obtained credit card details.
When Durham Police were asked for a comment they said that investigations into online fraud were often hampered by the fact that people are encouraged to report it to their banks before the police.
So why is a sleepy town on the edge of Durham (not exactly a metropolitan hub itself) so affected by such a modern crime. The answer probably lies in the number of residents. Shildon has a population of about 10’000 and the local police force think that this particular spike could be down to just one or two particularly successful fraudsters.
Whilst Durham might be the most prevalent area for internet fraud, its residents are a long way from losing the most money. That dubious honour goes to South East London, where around £16 million pounds worth of goods was stolen online last year alone. The national figure is even nmore shocking, with The Third Man estimating losses of half a Million.
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