Cardiff the UK’s fraud card capital

by Gill Montia

Story link: Cardiff the UK’s fraud card capital

Cardiff, rather than London, is the worst place in the UK for card fraud.

The annual index published by security specialist CPP shows card crime in the Welsh capital rising by 17% in the last two years, with 37% of residents now victims.

The report also reveals that card fraud across the UK has increased by more than 6% in the same period, equating to almost three million additional victims.

According to CPP, online fraud remains a huge problem, affecting a third of victims, while card cloning from cash points or Chip and PIN devices accounts for 17% of cases.

Worryingly, 34% of Britons have no idea how their financial details were swiped by fraudsters, and 43% were only aware they had been defrauded when alerted by their bank.

Almost a fifth of cardholders admitted they are more concerned about card fraud compared to last year, yet many confessed to taking risks such as keeping cards loose in their bags or pockets.

The study puts the average sum fraudulently transacted at over £590, with 16% of victims reporting losses of over £1,000; 13% of fraudsters used their ill-gotten gains to buy electronic goods and one in ten to buy clothing.

On a city-by-city basis, the percentage of people affected by at least one incidence of card fraud are as follows, according to CPP: Cardiff 37%; London 35%; Norwich 30%; Southampton 28%; Leeds 27%; Newcastle 25%; Plymouth 24%; Glasgow 24%; Edinburgh 24%; Plymouth 23%.