Press Release
15 June 2017 – Immediate Release
London Digital Security Centre Working Alongside Metropolitan Police to Combat Cyber Crime Targeted against Small and Medium Sized businesses
London, UK – The London Digital Security Centre and Metropolitan Police Service have recently conducted a mailshot to some 500 businesses that have reported an online crime to Action Fraud, over the period November 2016 to March 2017, as identified by the NFIB victim data - the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.
The Centre works with the City of London Police and Metropolitan Police, along with a number of other partners, to help protect London’s businesses from cybercrime enabling them to innovate, grow and prosper whilst operating in a secure digital environment. The mailshot is the second of its nature.
Detective Superintendent Neil Ballard, the head of the Met’s Falcon Command said: “Businesses – particularly SME’s - in London are increasingly being targeted online by criminals looking to exploit any weaknesses in their staff, processes and systems. One of our key priorities is to communicate the threat and help these businesses to make it more difficult for them to be exploited and to become victims of this type of criminality. Our collaboration with the London Digital Security Centre is crucial to achieving success in this objective.”
Recipients of the mailshot are also invited to attend a free workshop on Wednesday 5 July from 1pm to 4pm at 6 Mitre Passage, North Greenwich, London, focusing on the key areas of digital security that will help to protect businesses from cyber criminality, and support them to work in a secure digital environment.
Businesses interested in attending this event, can register via the Centre website at www.londondsc.co.uk or via Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-digital-security-centre-workshop-tickets-35177889013.
Online crimes affecting businesses in London are on the increase and are causing severe harm to businesses of all sizes. To help combat this the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime founded the London Digital Security Centre in 2015.
The City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau is using millions of reports of fraud to identify serial offenders, organised crime groups and established and emerging crime types. The 526 business records have been identified from the NFIB records, over the period, with the following fraud categories: Denial of Service Attack, Denial of Service Attack Extortion, Hacking – Server, Hacking – Personal, Hacking - Social Media and Email, Hacking - PBX / Dial Through, Hacking Extortion or Mandate Fraud.
To further assist business in London the Centre has launched a free membership scheme. Members are provided with access to a wealth of material and services to help the business to enhance its digital security, including online training resources and technical solutions.
The Centre will also be offering a range of free digital security assessments, enabling members to review and develop the level of digital security within their business, along with the opportunity to attend free digital security workshops and have one to one consultations.
Businesses interested in becoming a member can register online at www.londondsc.co.uk.
John Unsworth, Chief Executive for the London Digital Security Centre commented, “We know that only a small proportion of online crimes are being reported, we want to help protect these businesses from future vulnerabilities and raise awareness of what the Centre can offer.”
For further information on the London Digital Security Centre please visit www.londondsc.co.uk or contact John Unsworth by email at: [email protected].
— Ends —
Download a copy of the press release here: LDSC PR Victims of Crime 150617
