An article in the Bournemouth Echo reports that the cost of fraud and cyber crime in Dorset was £8 million in the year ending June 2016. The data was sourced from the national statistics reported by Get Safe Online and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau released on 20 October 2016. The statistics only include the crime actually reported to the police, however the actual figures are likely to be much higher.
Pete Little, Dorset Police head of investigations, said the threat from cyber-crime continues to be a rapidly growing problem and that more needs to be done by individuals and organisations to limit their chances of becoming victims.
Effective precautions in SMEs need not be complex or costly: regular fraud and cyber security awareness training for all staff, regular and timely software updates/patching and a strong password/passphrase policy that is enforced across the board.