All criminals need at the moment is a “phone, an email account and a social media account – that is enough to cause devastating impacts, including loss of life, loss of finances, mental health”, he said.
He echoed concerns about scams becoming even more sophisticated in future, adding: “If you think about how easy it is to get a clip of someone, and create a voice, an identity – there are scary threats coming down the line, but there’s already threats now which are devastating and victims need more support.”
Lyne explained there were currently six “priority fraud types” that pose the greatest risk to Londoners – romance fraud, courier fraud, investment fraud, abuse of position fraud, payment diversion and card and payment fraud.
“It can be very unclear about what type of scam someone is falling victim to until it has happened,” he said.
Lyne also claimed that criminals are increasingly using cryptocurrency, with the digital payment system, now featuring in at least a third of investment fraud reports in London.
Asked about what police can do to combat this increased sophistication, Lyne admitted that forces will “always be playing catch up” and that “education” around different online scams is “the right thing to do” to save potential victims.