THE SOUTH east has the second highest level of fraud in the UK, data has revealed.

Data from comparethemarket.com has shown the South East saw 53,317 online fraud offences in 2019-2020, the second highest number of crimes in the country.

The research analysed data from the Office of National Statistics to reveal the prevalence of online fraud in the UK and the places with the highest number of reported instances of online fraud.

London and the South East have the highest number of reported online fraud cases, with 65,824 and 53,317 cases respectively. In contrast, the West Midlands ranked number five with 31,034 cases.

James Padmore, head of money at comparethemarket.com, said: "Over the past year, we have seen an increase in the amount of cybercrime taking place.

"Our research indicates that the consequences of such crimes affect victims both emotionally and financially, with £4.7 billion having been stolen from UK residents through cybercrimes in the last year."