Ani Petrosyan
Research expert for cybersecurity and cybercrime
Impact of cybercrime on internet users in the United Kingdom (UK) - Statistics & Facts
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Although consumers in the United Kingdom (UK) have long been popular targets for cybercriminals, with the development of online services, it is becoming a much bigger threat. In the second quarter of 2023, 8,106 cybercrime incidents were registered in the country, up from around six thousand in the fourth quarter of 2022. Consumer fraud was the most reported type of fraud and cybercrime, with nearly 31 thousand incidents in the second quarter of 2023. Roughly half of the surveyed UK internet users stated having experienced impersonation fraud, while 42 percent had experienced counterfeit goods scams.
The first quarter of 2021 saw the most extensive number of breached data records in the market, approximately 15 million. Since then, the number of breached data points has significantly decreased to around 420 thousand. As of 2023, the average cost of a data breach in the UK was around 4.21 million U.S. dollars.
Consumer data breaches in the UK
One of the most common impacts of cyberattacks is a data breach. Consumer data collected by companies often becomes available to unauthorized third parties due to a hack or other type of cyberattack. To date, the most significant data breach incident in the United Kingdom is the Dixons Carphone breach in 2017-2018, when information regarding 14 million personal records and 5.6 million payment cards were leaked.The first quarter of 2021 saw the most extensive number of breached data records in the market, approximately 15 million. Since then, the number of breached data points has significantly decreased to around 420 thousand. As of 2023, the average cost of a data breach in the UK was around 4.21 million U.S. dollars.
Cost of cybercrime in the UK
Loss of personal data, among other repercussions, also causes significant financial damage. In the second quarter of 2023, the overall monetary loss through consumer fraud in the United Kingdom was 92.7 million British pounds, down from 160 million GBP in the fourth quarter of 2022. The overall financial damage of cybercrime in the United Kingdom was 320 billion U.S. dollars as of 2023.Online scams in the UK
As of 2022, around eight in ten online users in the United Kingdom reported an online scam after discovering they had encountered such an incident. Meanwhile, among the most commonly named reasons for not reporting an online scam was the belief that reporting would not make any difference, and not knowing whom to report. Nevertheless, before reporting, users should be able to identify a scam. According to a 2022 survey, UK internet users between 35 and 54 years were most likely to identify scam e-mails, as 80 percent expressed confidence in their ability to do so.Cybersecurity industry in the UK
With over 367 thousand IT professionals on board, the United Kingdom is home to the largest cybersecurity workforce in Europe. The British industry is also the sixth largest in the world. In 2022, the majority of registered cybersecurity firms were those offering cyber professional services, followed by network security. On the other hand, only 20 percent of firms specialized in employee training and education that year.Ani Petrosyan
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Dec 19, 2023
Ani Petrosyan
Research expert for cybersecurity and cybercrime
