Cybercrime wave hits Britain

Cybercrime is soaring with 300 online crimes being committed every hour, according to a report.

The first study of its kind - the UK Cybercrime report - estimates there were three million offences last year.

In nearly two-thirds of cases the intended target was an individual as opposed to a company with abusive emails and online identity theft among the crimes being identified.

More than 200,000 cases of financial fraud were recorded in 2006, with criminals impersonating the victim to obtain money, credit or a better job.

Find out more about identity theft and how you can protect yourself.

Online harassment 

Cases of online harassment during 2006 numbered almost two million, the report claims.

The study, compiled by online criminology firm 1871 Ltd, reports that the relative anonymity and "safe" distance that the internet allows is driving a wave of cybercrime.

But many offences are going unreported. It is claimed that 90 per cent of online harassment is carried out without a formal complaint being made.

Online chatrooms

Unwanted sexual approaches over the internet accounted for 850,000 of last year's cybercrime, according to the report.

In the same period 238 offences of meeting a child following sexual grooming through an online chatroom were recorded.

Find out more about social networking and how you can protect your children.

Outstripping traditional crime 

The report is based on data from official sources and quantitative and qualitative research using a sample of 200 cyber criminals.

Stefan Fafinski, author of the report, said: "Although measuring cybercrime is difficult, it is clear that in many instances it is outstripping 'traditional' crime.

"This is a result of unparalleled opportunities that the internet gives both for making familiar crimes easier and enabling 'pure' cybercrimes that could not exist without the internet."

He added: "If it remains unchecked it will continue to increase."