As the prevalence of fraud and cybercrime increases, people have been urged to report suspicious emails or text messages.
More than half of these crimes reported in the county take place at home or online, according to Lewis Cocking, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire.
He claimed that despite successful recovery efforts, it was challenging to accurately predict the amount of money lost.
I think the £2.5 million we have received is only a drop in the bucket compared to what's really out there, the man said.
"If we examine how crime has changed, we find that more than half of all crimes in Hertfordshire either take place online or in a victim's home. ".
He acknowledged that those who attempted to commit these crimes were frequently extremely intelligent and that the materials created appeared to be "very real.".
The annual report for the police and crime commissioner for 2022–2023 was being examined by the county council's cabinet panel on public health and community safety.
Morris Bright, a council executive member, reaffirmed the necessity for locals to report these crimes.
He proposed that some people might be reluctant to report cybercrime due to "personal embarrassment.".
He stressed the significance of "getting people to report crimes - and find safe ways to report them, as much as we can.".
In an effort to show residents what they could do to try to avoid being taken advantage of, information sessions were being held throughout the county.
"I urge everyone who has been the victim of fraud or cybercrime to report it, even if you report it anonymously around what has happened to you and how much you have lost," Mr. Cocking said.
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