According to research conducted by CPP Group, Cardiff has surpassed London as the UK's worst city for credit card fraud.
Over the past three years, Cardiff has leapt from fifth to first place in the company's Card Fraud Index. 37% of its residents have fallen prey to card fraud.
Compare this to London, on 35%; Norwich, on 30%; Southampton, on 28%; and Leeds (which has moved from 12th to 5th in the index over the past year), on 27%.
Nationally, incidents of card fraud rose by more than 6% in the past two years, which equates to an extra three million victims. Over a quarter of adults in the UK now claim to have suffered from card fraud.
CPP say online fraud remains the biggest problem, affecting a third of victims, while card cloning from cash points or Chip and PIN devices accounted for nearly a fifth (17%) of cases.
The average sum fraudulently transacted is over £590 and one in six victims (16%) reported losses over £1,000.
Sarah Blaney, card fraud expert at CPP, said: "Our research shows that card fraud continues to affect more victims as fraudsters resort to increasingly sophisticated methods. At CPP we have seen high levels of card ID theft, where criminals take over the running of another person's bank account - usually by changing the address details and then requesting a new card and PIN to access the account, This accounts for half of our fraud cases.
"We urge everyone to be vigilant and takes steps to protect themselves. When out and about never let your card out of your sight. Check your bank statements regularly and thoroughly so you can spot any suspicious transactions. These simple steps are very effective in fighting fraud."
Card Fraud League Table:
| Rank | City |
% of residents affected by card fraud |
|
1 |
Cardiff |
37% |
|
2 |
London |
35% |
|
3 |
Norwich |
30% |
|
4 |
Southampton |
28% |
|
5 |
Leeds |
27% |
|
6 |
Newcastle |
25% |
|
7 |
Plymouth |
24% |
|
8 |
Glasgow |
24% |
|
9 |
Edinburgh |
24% |
|
10 |
Nottingham |
23% |
|
11 |
Birmingham |
23% |
|
12 |
Brighton |
23% |
|
13 |
Manchester |
21% |
|
14 |
Bristol |
20% |
|
15 |
Sheffield |
17% |
|
16 |
Liverpool |
15% |
