NatWest has warned over three in four students are actively targeted by criminals through a number of well known brands and services. The 2021 NatWest Student Living Index ,which is due to be released in full on August 6, has highlighted a number of “shocking” statistics.
Students were asked a range of questions, on fraud and scams, on how much they spend on essentials such as food, rent and bills, and how much time they spend studying, working and socialising.
The full 2021 NatWest Student Living Index will be revealed this week and ahead of this, Andy Nicholson, the Head of NatWest Student Accounts, commented: “This year’s NatWest Student Living Index reveals a large number of students are being targeted by criminals.
“In raising awareness of these types of scams we hope students can avoid becoming a victim.”
Fortunately, Natwest also provided guidance on how students can stay safe and secure.
These tips will likely need to be heeded by everyone and not just students as recently, data from a number of security experts showed there was a 667 percent increase in malicious phishing emails at the height of the pandemic.
According to analysis from Barracuda Network, this spike in fraudulent activity was partially due to scammers taking advantage of home working – which left many increasingly vulnerable.
The price comparison website money.co.uk also noted multiple lockdowns over the last year meant consumers were shopping online more than ever before, with online sales up 46 percent in 2020, adding more potential risk.
These risks, unfortunately, did not seem to reduce as restrictions were eased as in the second quarter of 2021, there were 81,018 cases of fraud and cyber crime, resulting in a reported £382.3million lost to criminals.
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