More than 100 online crimes are committed every day.
Fraudsters are stealing from online shoppers more than 100 times a day.
Experts have revealed criminals are turning to online crime in their droves with ever-more sophisticated scams to con internet shoppers out of thousands of pounds.
New Home Office figures have revealed during a six-month period last year the number of online shopping and auction crimes soared by 24%, with up to 123 crimes being committed every day.
Retail crime in the UK costs £1.6bn and experts believe it will continue rising as more people make bigger purchases, such as cars and electrical goods, online.
Phil Butler, former head of economic crime at Northumbria Police who now runs Marine Forensics Limited, said Britain is a major target for fraudsters worldwide.
He said: “What we are seeing is professional fraudsters and people taking a bit of a chance and trying to deceive customers in the online auction world.
“It is compounded by the fact that an online auction site is not just in the town centre high street, it is global and there are fraudsters all over the world trying to do this.”
Mr Butler claimed Government and council trading standards departments are trying to get on top of the problem but consumers must be more aware.
He said: “Consumers need to check the obvious things, like that the person they are buying from is trustworthy.
“Do your homework, spend some time looking at the individual, what they are trying to sell and where they are located in the world.
“Check customer reviews, what has been purchased in the past, the quality of the goods, the packaging, were there any issues with regards to payments?”
But Labour MP Chi Onwurah claims the Government has been slow to react.
She said: “This report shows how rapidly online crime is rising. We have repeatedly pointed out to this Government that more than 90% of its cyber security spend goes on Government and big business, forgetting small businesses and consumers.
“The Home Office has finally begun a public awareness campaign just last month but it appears to be too little too late.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “As a Government we are taking the fight to cyber criminals wherever they are in the world.
“The newly created National Cyber Crime Unit part of the National Crime Agency has strengthened our enforcement ability.
“It is transforming the way the UK combats this threat by bringing law enforcement experts in to a single elite unit.
“The Cyber Streetwise campaign will help protect big and small businesses, as well as the public, from identity theft, scams and online fraud. Coupled with our wider enforcement efforts, this will help close the net on sophisticated cyber criminals.”
A family was left devastated when they fell victim to an international online puppy scam.
Stephen Clarke, 59, and his wife Jane, spotted a Great Dane puppy called Precious for sale online and fell in love with it instantly.
The couple, from Penrith, Cumbria, agreed to pay £291 for it to be shipped down to them from the Orkney Isles.
After wiring the cash to accounts in Africa, the couple made excited preparations for the arrival of their new pet. But on the eve of its arrival a demand was made for another £915 to be paid.
They quickly realised they had been duped by an international puppy fraud scam. Stephen was later contacted by Deborah Hazzard, 49, from Bournemouth, Dorset, who had been conned by the same fraudsters.
She handed over £650 for a British Bulldog for her son’s 19th birthday.
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