Fresh research has shown that there was a reported £1.1m lost to online scams in West Mercia in the 12 months up to July.
The average loss per case was £829, with around 103 reports per 100,000 people in the area.
For Dyfed Powys £522k was lost, at an average of £771 a case, with 130 reports for every 100,000 people – the joint second highest figure in England and Wales.
In April, Dyfed Powys Police issued a number of warnings for scams they had recognised circulating within their jurisdiction.
These included scams via Facebook Marketplace, on fake gift cards and fraudsters pretending to be from Tesco.
Wholesale Clearance, which conducted the research by contacting 48 police forces, said there was a combined loss of £53.7 million overall, from 75,868 reports between June 2021 and July 2022.
West Mercia Police Detective Inspector Emma Wright urged people to be cautious over how they use the internet – and to always check the identity of anyone who gets in touch asking for personal information, or money.
She said: “Fraud can be extremely cruel, often targeting elderly or vulnerable people, and we are constantly working to prevent it from happening and arrest those responsible.
“Our message is simple – your bank or the police will never, ever ask you to hand over money, bank cards or bank account details.
“Always verify the identity of anyone who contacts you asking for personal information.
“If you…
