CUMBRIA Police has received over 2,000 individual fraud reports over the past 13 months, new research has revealed.

Analysis carried out by QR Code Generator QRFY looked at data from Action Fraud and the Office for National Statistics to uncover how many reports of fraud each police force had in England and Wales.

The most common category found by Cumbria Police was ‘Online Shopping and Auction’ fraud, which refers to the non-delivery of products bought by a consumer, or the misrepresentation of a product.

‘Other Advance Fee Fraud’ was the second most common category followed by ‘Cheque, Plastic Cards and Online Bank Account (non PSP) in third.

This is where criminals pretend to be someone with authority asking individuals to use their information that are linked to a bank account.

In total, there were 2,146 individual fraud reports in Cumbria and an overall 395,105 reports across England and Wales – with a reported loss of £2.3 billion.

89 per cent (351,451) of these reports were found to be filed by individuals.

A spokesperson for Cumbria Police said: “Every year, the British public loses billions of pounds to fraudsters.

“The most common fraud in Cumbria is related to online shopping but there are steps people can take to better protect themselves.

“If you’re making a purchase from a company or person you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first.

“If you decide to go ahead, consider using a credit card if you have one, as most major providers insure online purchases.

“Make sure you are using secure accounts and passwords, always take care with links in emails and texts.

“If you do suspect you have been taken in by fraudsters, take note of the website’s address, close down your browser and contact your bank and the specialists at Action Fraud who work alongside law enforcement.”